Roller Coaster Crash in Sweden Causes One Killed, Several Injured
- tripsavvy
VIVA – One person killed, and nine others were injured include children after a roller coaster crash at the oldest amusement park in Sweden on Sunday, according to the staff and police.
According to eyewitness, part of the sled was seen coming off the tracks as it rolled, sending those on board tumbling to the ground.
"This is a tragedy and very sad, and it is with great regret that we share the news that one person has died," Grona Lund spokeswoman Annika Troselius told television station SVT.
Ambulances, firefighters and helicopters were seen arriving at the scene and police are currently investigating. According to a police statement, nine people were hospitalized, including three who were seriously injured.
Grona Lund said in a statement that the 140-year-old amusement park was closed until further notice. Jenny Lagerstedt, a journalist who happened to be at the park with her family, told SVT that she was near the scene and heard a noise and saw the sled shaking.
"My husband saw the sled with passengers falling to the ground. My son was very scared," she said.
According to the theme park's website, the Jetline sled with a steel track can reach speeds of 90 kilometers per hour and heights of 30 meters. Grona Lund is visited by more than one million people every year.
Swedish Culture Minister Parisa Liljestrand said that the news of the accident was very sad. "I extend my condolences to those affected as well as their families and loved ones," Liljstrand said in a statement to news agency TT.