STOCKHOLM (AP) — A roller coaster train derailed in an amusement park accident that left one dead and nine injured in Stockholm on Sunday, causing some passengers to fall to the ground, police and park officials said.
Witnesses described a chaotic scene in Gröna Lund Park when the front of the train appeared to jump off the tracks before coming to a stop and one carriage toppled to the ground.
“The front of the train partially derailed and stopped on the track at a height of between 6 and 8 meters (between 20 and 25 feet),” said Park Managing Director Jan Eriksson. “A total of 14 people were on board, one of whom died and several were injured.”
According to the regional government, nine people have been taken to hospital, one of them in serious condition. Three of the injured were children, all with minor injuries, it said.
Witness Ziba Assadi told Swedish broadcaster TV4 that she was standing directly under the Jetline roller coaster when she saw the wheel assembly of one of the cars hit the ground.
“Then the car stops and people fly out, fall out of the car,” she said.
Witnesses said two or three people fell out of the car, one of them grabbing onto the rail. Crime scene photos showed a man sitting on a beam beneath the stopped train.
“So he sits astride (on the beam) and waits,” Assadi said. “There was complete panic.”
The amusement park was evacuated after the accident and will remain closed for seven days to allow investigators to figure out what went wrong, park officials said.
“That must not happen,” said Gröna Lund spokeswoman Annika Troselius. “Security is the most important thing for us. And we would never open an attraction if we weren’t confident it was safe, so we need to investigate this carefully.”
Police launched a criminal investigation into possible charges of negligent homicide, assault and endangerment of others.
The 800-meter (2,600-foot) Jetline roller coaster opened in 1988 and was renovated in 2000, according to Gröna Lund. It has a maximum height of 30 meters (98 feet) and a top speed of 90 km/h (56 miles per hour).
Gröna Lund opened in 1883 and is Sweden’s oldest amusement park.