Rollercoaster with up to ten people on board 'derails at Scottish theme park and plunges 30ft to the ground'
Seven people have been injured after a rollercoaster derailed and reportedly plunged 30ft to the ground in front of horrified onlookers at a Scottish theme park.
Eyewitnesses claimed the carriage smashed into a toddlers’ ride when it hit the ground at M&D’s theme park in Motherwell, near Glasgow, at around 3.40pm today.
It is understood eight to ten people were on board the Tsunami ride at the time. Children are among those feared trapped in the wreckage, while a picture of a set of wheels on the ground suggest they had ‘flown off’ the carriage.
Other images from the scene show the derailed carriage stuck upside down with legs of those trapped inside flailing in the air. It is unclear at this stage how serious the injuries are.
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Eyewitness reports suggest the Tsunami ride came to the ground at M&D’s theme park in Motherwell
A spokesman for the Scottish Ambulance Service said six ambulance crews and a specialist operation team were on the scene (pictured)
Members of the public can be seen desperately rushing to try and help while emergency services are currently working at the scene in Strathclyde Country Park. The park has been evacuated.
One eyewitness at the scene, Gavin McNally, described it as ‘carnage’ and said it ‘will be a miracle if there are no fatalities’.
A Police Scotland statement said: ‘We can confirm we are currently working with other emergency services to ascertain the full extent of the situation.
‘We can confirm there are injured parties -approximately seven people.’
A spokesman for the Scottish Ambulance Service said six ambulance crews and a specialist operation team were on the scene.
He said: ‘I can confirm that we are attending an incident at M&Ds theme park in Motherwell.’
People took to Twitter to express their shock at the incident. One user posted to the social media site: ‘Tsunami rollercoaster has left the tracks and crashed to the ground at M&Ds emergency services here attending so shocked.’
A rollercoaster is said to have come off its tracks and plunged 30ft at a theme park in Scotland. Eyewitness reports suggest the Tsunami ride (pictured) came to the ground at M&D’s theme park in Motherwell
It is understood eight to ten people were on board at the time. Children are among those feared trapped. One picture taken at the scene appears to show the wheels of the rollercoaster carriage on the ground (right)
People took to Twitter to express their shock at the incident at M&D’s theme park in Motherwell, near Glasgow
Another added: ‘The Tsunami just came off the rails at M&Ds. Absolute scenes. Kids look hurt!’
Katie Burns said she had just finished riding the Tsunami rollercoaster and was walking past when the carriage crashed with children on board.
On Facebook, she wrote: ‘Literally got off the Tsunami at M&Ds and then walking past and the next lot of people get on and the full thing goes off the tracks.
‘Honestly never been so scared in my life, with this weather they should not be on,
‘Kids and adults are still on it upside down, it’s like something out a horror film, children crying and everything.
‘Literally can’t believe this, my heart goes out to everyone on it, a full load came off the track but and on the pavement, like a horror film worse thing ever heard and seen, can’t get over this.’
A Police Scotland statement said: ‘We can confirm we are currently working with other emergency services to ascertain the full extent of the situation.’ Officers are pictured at the scene in Motherwell, North Lanarkshire
Emergency response: A spokesman for the Scottish Ambulance Service said six ambulance crews and a specialist operation team were on the scene. The park has now been evacuated and closed for the day
The Tsunami ride is described on the theme park’s website as ‘Scotland’s only inverted rollercoaster’, adding that it can reach speeds of up to 65mph. Police are pictured at the scene of the incident this afternoon
She posted an image of one of the rollercoaster wheels on the ground.
Witness James Millerick, who was queuing for another rollercoaster at the theme park, said he heard ‘shrieks’ from customers.
He said there was talk that someone had come off one of the rides and rushed over.
‘When we got there the rollercoaster had come off the track entirely – straight through the gated fence at the side of the rollercoaster and was upside down on the concrete path at the side,’ he told Sky News.
‘There were maybe seven or eight individuals, mostly of younger age between maybe 10 and 15 years old that were actually trapped inside the rollercoaster lying on the ground. The harnesses were still on as well so there was absolutely no movement.’
He said he thought the rollercoaster had slipped off the tracks as it came around a corner but did not fall from the highest point.
Kids and adults are still on it upside down, it’s like something out a horror film, children crying and everything
Schoolboy Ryan Swan, 10, from Glasgow, was queuing for the ride when it came off the tracks.
He said: ‘I was with my cousin and I just heard a huge crash of metal and heard people screaming.
‘I was really shocked and really worried.
‘What people were saying on the news is true. Tsunami did crash into the children’s ride below it.
‘It was a bit where it swings round on a corner. We got away fairly quickly and started going toward the car, but we saw a man lying on the ground, surrounded by people.
‘I couldn’t see if he was that injured, as he had his hood up. I’m just happy I hadn’t got to the front of the queue yet.’
The Tsunami ride is described on the theme park’s website as ‘Scotland’s only inverted rollercoaster’, adding that it can reach speeds of up to around 40mph.
Children under 10 are restricted from riding the Tsunami, and a minimum height restriction of 1.4m applies.
In 2011, nine people were rescued from the same ride after being trapped for eight hours.
They were stranded 60 feet from the ground.
A spokesman for M&D’s said: ‘A serious incident occurred at M&D’s today involving the tsunami rollercoaster.
‘We have all emergency services on site to assist. The theme park is closed until further notice.’
Rollercoaster with up to ten people on board "derails at Scottish theme park and plunges 30ft to the ground"
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