Four people were killed when a ride at Australia’s largest theme park, Dreamworld, malfunctioned Tuesday.
According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, two of the four adult victims were thrown from their raft on the Thunder River Rapids ride, while two others were trapped inside the raft.
The theme park, a major attraction in the Gold Coast tourist region of the east coast state of Queensland, announced on social media and its website that it is closed until further notice.
Witnesses told the ABC that 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.”
Video uploaded to YouTube shows the ride involves a six-person raft that follows a water course. The park’s website describes the ride, which has operated since 1986, as a family ride with “moderate thrill.”
Many large theme parks and smaller, local amusement parks across the country feature similar rides.
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