Fatal incident at Dreamworld on the Gold Coast
POLICE are combing CCTV footage for clues about what went wrong on the Thunder River Rapids ride, leaving four dead.
POLICE have confirmed the devastating theme park accident that killed four people at Dreamworld on the Gold Coast was caught on CCTV, as investigations into the tragedy continue.
Working throughout the night, police have been combing the CCTV footage for clues as to what led the Thunder River Rapids ride to “malfunction” and cause the horror crash at about 2:20pm Queensland time on Tuesday.
Queensland Police Inspector Tod Reid said the “complex retrieval” of the bodies will take several hours and involve heavy equipment.
Gavin Fuller of Queensland Ambulance said two of the victims were “ejected” after a “malfunction” on the ride. Theme park staff were trying to help them when paramedics arrived — but Mr Fuller said their injuries were so severe they were “incompatible with living”.
The victims have been named as Kate Goodchild, 32, her brother Luke Dorsett, his partner Roozi Araghi and a 42-year-old woman who remains unknown.
Kate and Luke’s mother Kim Dorsett, told The Courier Mail she is “absolutely devastated” following the accident that left her grandchildren without their mother.
“We are just devastated, absolutely devastated,” she said.
“I have three children and have lost two of them today — my whole family has been wiped out.
“I have two granddaughters — an eight-month-old and a 12-year-old — and it truly breaks my heart to know that my eight-month-old is never going to get to know her mum.”
The family were visiting Queensland from Canberra when the decided to visit Dreamworld. Ms Dorsett said her granddaughter was “distraught” at the loss of her mother.
Mr Fuller said responders had been “deeply affected” by what they had seen and would be offered counselling.
FIVE SECONDS FROM SAFETY
The four people killed in a horrific accident on a Dreamworld ride were just five seconds from safety when the craft flipped, giving them injuries “incompatible with living”.
Witnesses have told how they tried to comfort a young girl who was left screaming as disaster shattered the funpark atmosphere.
“She just kept screaming ‘Where’s Mummy? Where’s Mummy?” witness Claire Wooley said.
“We tried to comfort her, but she was so emotional it was hard.”
“We were in tears ourselves and she was just hysterical.”
A former Dreamworld staffer who has worked at the park for more than a decade told the Gold Coast Bulletin the six-seater craft had nearly finished the ride when it hit an empty raft ahead and flipped.
“If you ever saw a doughnut being made at Donut King, they have a conveyor belt at the end that the doughnuts go up to dry off,” he said.
“It’s exactly the same thing ... It just takes them from the water in the bottom to the unloading point at the end.”
Witnesses who rode the ride earlier in the day expressed concern about the velcro seatbelt that was holding them in. Melbourne father Jesse Lovett said he did not feel secure holding his two-year-old daughter on his lap.
“It’s so rough and you had to hold it really tight,” he told news.com.au. “It was my favourite ride and now with my daughter I was pretty scared to go on it.”
“All that was holding her in securely was me. The strap did nothing and easily came undone because it was wet.”
Chaplains visited the park to offer support while others have left tributes at the scene.
‘PEOPLE HYSTERICALLY CRYING’
Witnesses told of their horror at seeing a young girl crying who they believe is the daughter of one of the victims.
“We saw people hysterically crying, running around ... One of the daughters said it was her family,” a witness told Sky News.
Lia Capes said: “We saw [a] little girl and we believe it was her mum because it was just her and her little sister that was an infant.”
“We tried to comfort her to the side to distract her.”
She also said: “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.”
A male witness said “there were kids on board screaming while their mum was trapped under”. Meanwhile another woman said a woman was “crushed” by the ride and left “hanging by her foot”.
PROBLEMS WITH RIDE?
The accident has prompted intense speculation about whether or not the ride was performing well. Witnesses told Nine News they were forced to wait earlier in the day while water was drained and engineers looked at it, however Queensland Police denied knowledge of any prior incidents.
“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,” one woman told Nine.
Another park-goer Jesse Lovett said he rode the ride earlier with his two-year-old daughter on his lap and was concerned about the velcro strap which was ineffective, he claimed.
Dreamworld CEO Craig Davidson said: “We are deeply shocked and saddened by this. Our hearts and thoughts go out to the families involved and their loved ones.”
The company also issued a statement saying it was working with police to establish the facts.
“Dreamworld’s focus and priority is with the families of those involved in this tragedy and will be providing an update to the public as soon as information becomes available.”
The park will remain closed on Wednesday and Ardent Leisure — the owner of Dreamworld — saw its share price plunge following the incident.
‘We are deeply shocked and saddened by this,’ @Dreamworld_AU CEO Craig Davidson speaks after the fatal incident. https://t.co/ucKbKPJEgE
— ABC News 24 (@ABCNews24) October 25, 2016
SECOND SHUTDOWN IN SIX MONTHS
It’s the second time this year the park has been forced to close due to safety concerns over a ride. In April it was shut down for a weekend after a man nearly drowned on a similar ride. Worksafe Queensland allowed it to reopen after an investigation.
A Queensland Workplace Health and Safety spokesman said preliminary reports it may have been an industrial accident on a ride undergoing repair were false.
“The early indications we have is that the ride was operating at the time of the incident,” he said.
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.”
WATCH: Police, @QldAmbulance and @Dreamworld_AU speak about this afternoon's tragedy. https://t.co/oH09XQFpdO
— QPS Media Unit (@QPSmedia) October 25, 2016
#Dreamworld evacuated after four dead. @GCBulletin pic.twitter.com/XtyAi3YSqC
— Nic McElroy (@Nic_McElroy) October 25, 2016
Shocked Dreamworld visitors are streaming out of the theme park after ride incident. @abcgoldcoast pic.twitter.com/jAg87oPqxy
— Tom Forbes (@tomforbesGC) October 25, 2016
‘IT WAS A HORRIFIC SCENE’
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said he was saddened to hear of the “tragic accident at Dreamworld earlier today.”
“Theme parks are a place for family fun and happiness, not tragedy. This is a very, very, sad, tragic event. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of those who lost their lives.
“This is a very sad day, and we trust there will be a thorough investigation into the causes of this accident over the days to follow,” he said.
I'm very saddened by the tragedy at Dreamworld today. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families. https://t.co/FGF9vsrB1s
— Malcolm Turnbull (@TurnbullMalcolm) October 25, 2016
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says counsellors are being rushed to Dreamworld to calm people.
“I understand there were many witnesses,” she said. “The scene, I’m told, was horrific. It was a horrific scene.”
Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate said the tragedy was “a very sad day for our city”.
“Our thoughts are with the families of those affected — and the emergency staff in attendance,” he said.
“I urge everyone to show the respect needed as the relevant authorities undertake investigations in to what has occurred.”
Mr Tate was due to visit Dreamworld on Tuesday night. He told news.com.au the city would do everything it could to help the families of the victims.
“I’m just shocked by it. People come to the Gold Coast to have a good time and have wonderful memories. This is the reverse of that.”
US Olympic gold medallist Matthew Centrowitz said he was on the ride just before the accident happened.
Dude! Just got off a ride 15 mins ago that has 1 person seriously injured & 2 others trapped 😧😓 #Dreamworld
— Matthew Centrowitz (@MattCentrowitz) October 25, 2016
The Thunder River Rapids Ride is currently Australia’s only river rapids ride and opened on December 11, 1986, reports the Gold Coast Bulletin.
A Dreamworld promotion for the ride describes people “speeding up to 45km/h through turbulent rapids”. Riders board one of several six-person circular rafts and can be as young as two years-old.
The raft is dispatched and the riders travel back past the ride’s queue and into a cave.
Upon exiting the cave, riders experience the main rapids section of the ride. This section runs alongside a large water catchment which powers both the Thunder River Rapids Ride and The Rock Hollow Log Ride.
MAJOR AMUSEMENT PARK ACCIDENTS IN AUSTRALIA SINCE 1968:
• September 12, 2014 — Eight-year-old Adelene Leong dies after being thrown from a high-speed ride at the Royal Adelaide Show.
• May 18, 2013 — Five-year-old boy seriously injured after being flung from the Frizbee ride at a school fete in Highfields, Queensland.
• March 11, 2001 — Eight-year-old girl dies and 11 people injured when an inflatable carriage breaks free from a ride at a carnival in Kapunda, South Australia.
• Sept 2, 2000 — Thirty-seven people hurt when the Spin Dragon ride collapses and drops a 4.3 tonne gondola onto queuing riders at the Royal Adelaide Show.
• Feb. 22, 1997 — 11-year-old girl dies and two boys injured when a carriage on the Octopus ride breaks free and falls to the ground at the Rylstone Show near Mudgee, NSW.
• June 9, 1979 — Six children and one adult die when Sydney’s Luna Park’s Ghost Train catches fire. This occurred two months after 13 people were injured on the Big Dipper when a steel runner came loose on a rollercoaster train on April 16.
• October 24 1968 — High-wire stuntman Adrian Labans, 44, falls to his death during a highwire act at the Royal Hobart Show.
Do you know more? Email victoria.craw@news.com.au
— With AAP
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