(Stockholm) One person died and nine were injured on Sunday after a roller coaster derailed at an amusement park in Stockholm, Sweden, the park and police said.
“One person is unfortunately dead,” Cecilia Björling, spokesperson for Gröna Lund, the official name of the park, which was evacuated, told AFP.
Nine people are injured and hospitalized, including children, said Jan Eriksson, CEO of Gröna Lund, at a press conference. “It’s a sad day,” he said, noting that the park, which opened 140 years ago, will close for at least seven days.
The crash happened around 11:30 a.m. (5:30 a.m. EST) Sunday on the “Jetline” ride. Part of the front end partially detached, the train stopped in the middle of the track and the car in question was leaning over the edge. Fourteen people were on board.
An investigation has been opened, said a park spokeswoman.
“We received the alert around 11:39 a.m. (5:39 a.m. Eastern Time), a roller coaster derailed and several people were injured,” Håkan Eriksson of the Swedish capital’s emergency services told AFP. . Police and ambulance were dispatched to the scene.
The injured suffered injuries caused by falling accidents, said Helena Boström Thomas, spokesperson for the Stockholm police.
According to Jenny Lagerstedt, correspondent for Swedish television SVT who was on site, a car from the “Jetline” attraction broke loose, then fell from a great height, carrying several people in the fall.
“I suddenly heard a thud and metallic sound, then the rides started shaking,” she told the Swedish channel. “My husband, who was sitting outside, saw a car pull away [de l’attraction] and fall”.
“It’s unimaginable,” commented Culture Minister Parisa Liljestrand to the TT news agency. “I recently visited the park with my family and I can’t even imagine what it must be like when the best of days suddenly turns into a nightmare.”
The “Jetline” roller coaster, a classic at the Gröna Lund amusement park – which employs around 1,500 seasonal workers every year – was inaugurated in 1988 and travels at a speed of around 90 km/h.