FOURTEEN people have been injured and two are in critical condition after a tree fell on the Tomahawk slide at a theme park in Spain.
A strong storm with gusts of up to 40mph reportedly blew over the tree and caused branches to fall on passengers.
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Rollercoaster ‘Tomahawk’ at PortAventura Park Credit: Social Media Collect
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Tree branches fell directly on passengers Credit: Social Media Collect
The tragic accident happened around 11 a.m. at PortAventura, a theme park located between Vila Seca and Salou on the Costa Daurada.
Some of the tree branches fell directly on the passengers in the slides, the company said in a statement.
Eight ambulances and a medical helicopter were sent to the park and treated 14 people.
One person in critical condition was taken to the Bellvitge Hospital in Barcelona, while the other was taken to the Joan XXIII University Hospital in Tarragona – both by helicopter.
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Three other injured passengers were taken to different nearby hospitals.
Park management said the event was “completely unrelated to the operation and maintenance” of the park’s attractions, which “meet the highest safety standards.”
They said that the strong winds blowing through Tarragona today were to blame for the incident.
The park added that it has closed other attractions and rollercoasters in the park to protect its visitors from the effects of the wild winds.
But access to the tomahawk remained open because the children’s ride was in the park’s “soft” category, a spokesman said.
The investigation was started when the police arrived with five teams.
Riders trapped on one of the tallest rollercoasters in the world
In 2009, a worker was hit by a cart while performing maintenance on the same slide and tragically died.
The wooden Tomahawk is located in the westernmost part of the theme park within the PortAventura World Resort, which is about 50 miles southwest of Barcelona.
Built in 1997, the rollercoaster was intended for children and stipulates that its passengers must be between 1.05 and 1.85 meters tall.
PortAventura closed Tomahawk today after the tragedy.
Last year, a woman was killed and several children were injured in a horrific rollercoaster accident in Stockholm.
The 35-year-old died while nine people were rushed to the hospital.
Tragedy struck Grona Lund amusement park when the Jetline rollercoaster partially derailed during the ride.
Fourteen people were in the carriage with the toboggan.
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Rollercoaster ‘Tomahawk’ at PortAventura Park Credit: Social Media Collect
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Categories: Optical Illusion
Source: HIS Education