What it’s like on board the fatal Dreamworld ride
WITNESSES have told of how the ride that killed four people at Dreamworld had malfunctioned just two hours before the accident.
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WITNESSES have told of how the ride that killed four people at Dreamworld had malfunctioned just two hours before the accident.
Lisa and Kaylah Walker saw the earlier malfunction, in which people were left stranded on the Thunder River Rapids ride for up to 40 minutes.
“They were just sitting there, looking pretty bored out of their brains actually, while staff drained the water out,” Ms Walker said.
“The water was just sitting flat, there were no rapids.
“We were on top of the bridge and saw all these people sitting there, so we headed to the other side of the park and by the time we heard the sirens we came back and everything had been cordoned off.
“It was pretty obvious then what had happened.”
The Kiwi mother-daughter pair, who were in the middle of a theme park tour holiday, said other rides had also broken down throughout the day.
“We saw the motorbike ride having issues, the Tower of Terror, even the Buzz Saw, I don’t think we saw that go around once all day,” Ms Walker said.
“It was a bit like that Final Destination movie because everything was breaking down and having issues throughout the day. There was just a bad feeling around the park.”
Ms Walker said the theme park was filled with panic in the minutes following the tragic accident.
“When we came back and saw the aftermath, people were running around, crying, hugging each other,” she said.
“There was one little girl talking to detectives who was very upset. It was very, very sad.
“There was another lady on her phone saying that she saw someone hanging by their foot.
“It’s unbelievable to think what’s supposed to be a family-friendly ride could end up resulting in something so tragic – my heart really goes out to the family.”
Dreamworld management were contacted for a response to the claims the ride malfunctioned earlier in the day, but last night were yet to respond
EARLIER REPORT: DREAMWORLD visitors said there had been problems on the ride that killed four people earlier in the day and engineers were called in, according to reports.
“We were waiting there for about half an hour and engineers had to come,” a woman told Nine News of the earlier incident.
“They drained all the water out and then had to refill it back up, and then we were allowed to go. But, yeah, we were stuck there for about 30-40 minutes at least.”
When asked at a press conference if there had been incidents on the ride earlier in the day, a police spokesman said: “I’m not aware, but that will be part of the investigation and that will be one of the aspects we will be looking at.”
Dreamworld describes the three decade old Thunder River Rapids, at the centre of the tragedy, as a ride down a “foamy water track” at up to 45km/h.
Police confirmed four people died on the ride at the Gold Coast’s biggest theme park about 2.10pm Queensland time on Tuesday.
Gavin Fuller of Queensland Ambulance said two of the victims were “ejected” after a “malfunction” on the ride, while two others were caught inside.
The dead were aged from 32 to early 40s. Mr Fuller said their injuries were so severe they were “incompatible with life”.
One of Dreamworld’s most popular rides, Thunder River Rapids opened in 1986 and is situated in the “Town of Gold Rush” portion of the park that attracts visitors from across Australia.
The shock deaths on Tuesday are not the first major incident to occur on a Dreamworld ride this year. In April, the neighbouring Log Ride was closed indefinitely after a man in his 30s fell and nearly drowned.
It was given the all clear by Worksafe Queensland inspectors and reopened two days later.
‘ALL RIDES ARE OUT OF DATE’
Fans of the park have taken to social media to vent fears about ageing equipment and operational issues.
Facebook user Tasneem Seedat gave the popular park a two star review on Monday, saying rides are “out of date and are not as smooth as they should be.”
“I injured myself on the way down from the giant drop because of your old school repairs and upgrades. Wipe-out and a few others need replacing. It just needs a general update all together. All rides are out of date,” she wrote.
“Another major concern is that for all of your rides there is only 1 or at max 2 people operating it and checking harnesses.”
Queensland woman Tracey Christensen reported one of the rides kept operating despite a belt buckle securing her children coming undone.
“I told the attendants they didn’t listen. I went and told the manager, and he said he will call someone to go have a look, yet they continued to let people on the ride and keep operating,” she said.
The cause of the accident remains unknown and Dreamworld Management said they are “deeply shocked and saddened” by the deaths.
Others were undeterred and said it was a simply a tragic event.
Anthony Street wrote it was down to people being in the “wrong place at the wrong time.”
“They will still have my support as it’s my favourite place to go to and can never be sad when I’m there I’m always happy. RIP to the ones who died as well let’s hope it’s up and running soon,” he said.
‘MODERATE THRILL’
On the theme park’s website, Dreamworld encourages thrill seekers stating, “all aboard for white water rafting!” The park boasts of “turbulent rapids” through “Gold Rush country”.
Listed as a “moderate thrill” with a maximum of six riders, children only have to be more than two years old to board the ride but under fours must be accompanied by an adult.
Circular rafts of six seats are used on the ride which spin and tumble along a white water course of raging rapids. People are strapped in not by the usual heavy harness but by loose straps around the waist, potentially so riders can escape if the cars flip in the water.
Theme park review website Parkz classes Thunder River Rapids as “good” with a rating of 72 out of 100. But it is listed as relatively modest when it comes to “intensity”.
In the past, riders could reportedly board and dismount the boats while they were still moving but this was halted due to safety concerns.
Dreamworld’s owner Ardent Leisure confirmed there were four deaths and said the park will be closed tomorrow as a mark of respect for the families.
Originally published as What it’s like on board the fatal Dreamworld ride
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