Thirteen children and one adult were injured on Wednesday when a rollercoaster derailed at Welsh amusement park.
Children were left suspended above the ground and had to be rescued after the “Wacky Worm” ride came off the rails at Coney Beach Pleasure Park in Porthcawl, South Wales.
As the incident occurred, children were “screaming” and safety railings fell from the side of the tracks, witnesses said.
Emergency services took seven children to hospital, including one who had reportedly had his teeth knocked out during the derailment.
Writing on Facebook following the incident, Matthew Baker said: “The ride was going around the top track and started to wobble. It then came to an abrupt stop with the rear end jack-knifing up, slamming back down and going back up in the air again, becoming stuck.
He added: “At this point the security rails that surrounded the ride came crashing down, I pushed my [partner] out of the way to safety allowing the railings to hit me instead.”
The incident comes just weeks before the pleasure park, which opened in 1918 is due to close its gates for good. The park will close in October to make way for a new development including restaurants, shops and houses.
In a statement, Coney Beach Pleasure Park said the Wacky Worm was a “third-party ride”, which it did not own, and that the police told them to clear the site for further investigation.
“We apologise for the disruption and will be providing refunds to affected guests as soon as possible,” the park said.
South Wales Police told The Independent: “Officers were called to Coney Beach Amusement Park, Porthcawl, at around 5:50pm yesterday evening, Wednesday August 13, following an accident involving one of the rides.
“At this time, we can confirm that 13 children and one adult have sustained minor injuries. Some of these have required hospital treatment.
“The amusement park will remain closed today whilst officers and health and safety personnel carry out their investigation.”
A Welsh Ambulance Service spokesperson told The Independent: “We were called yesterday, shortly before 18:00 to reports of an incident at Coney Beach, Porthcawl.
“We sent three emergency ambulances, three Cymru high acuity response unit paramedics, two duty operational managers and our Hazardous Area Response Team to the scene.
“Seven patients were taken to hospital by ambulance for further treatment.”
A spokesperson from the government’s Health and Safety Executive told The Independent: “We are aware of this incident and are being supported by South Wales Police. Our inspectors are attending the site today to commence enquiries.”
