Four people have been killed in an accident at a theme park on Australia’s east coast, officials said.
Two men and two women died while on the Thunder River Rapids ride at Dreamworld, a popular attraction on Queensland's Gold Coast.
A malfunction on the ride, which whisks people in circular rafts along a fast-moving, man-made river, caused two people to be ejected from their raft, while two others were caught inside the ride, said Gavin Fuller, an officer with the Queensland Ambulance Service.
He said he did not know if the two victims who were caught in the ride were trapped underwater, or caught up in the machinery.
Park staff administered first aid to the victims, but their injuries proved fatal, Mr Fuller said. The victims were in their 30s and early 40s, he added.
Mr Reid said he was not aware of any previous problems with the ride.
Dreamworld chief executive Craig Davidson said the park was working with police to try to determine what went wrong. “We are deeply shocked and saddened by this, and our hearts and our thoughts go out to the families involved and to their loved ones,” he said.
Screaming
The theme park was closed following the incident.
Witness Lia Capes told the Australian Broadcasting Corp that she was just about to go on the ride when she saw people running out, crying. “I was speaking to one of the guys and he said it was the raft or the boat thing in front of him - the whole thing flipped and everyone was screaming,” she said.
Queensland police said they were called to the site at Coomera around 2.20pm following reports that a number of people had been injured by a conveyor belt.
“Four adults have been confirmed as being deceased.
“Police and other emergency services remain on the scene and no further information can be released at this stage.”
Aerial footage showed emergency workers beside one of the ride’s six-seat carriages on the conveyor belt, close to where people get on and off the ride.
Dreamworld is about 24km north of the Gold Coast and about 55km south of Brisbane. It is the largest theme park in Australia and one of four theme parks on the Gold Coast.
Thunder River is considered one of Dreamworld’s tamer rides, and is open to children as young as two.
The park, which has been open since 1981, also features several rollercoasters and the free-fall ride The Giant Drop, where passengers plunge from a height of nearly 120m.
In April, the park’s Rocky Hollow Log Ride was temporarily shut down after a man fell from the ride.
Australian prime minister Malcolm Turnbull said there would be a thorough investigation into the cause of Tuesday’s accident. “Theme parks are a place for family fun and happiness, not tragedy,” he said.