Ayra Wang
Shenzhen has ordered theme park Happy Valley Shenzhen to close, two days after 28 people were injured in a shocking roller coaster collision.
The incident occurred at 6.27pm on Friday, when a roller coaster train with 22 riders on its way up suddenly slipped down along the track and hit another train, whose passengers were getting off the platform, the Safety Management Committee Office of Nanshan District said.
The “Snowy Eagle” ride, one of the main attractions of the park, has had launch failures, including one incident in which passengers were unable to leave days prior to Friday’s accident, according to China Newsweek.
Opened to the public in 2012 and designed by the world-renowned roller coaster manufacturer S&S Worldwide, “Snowy Eagle” features a world-class pneumatic launch system.
It is operated by Shenzhen Oct Happy Kingdom Tourism Co and is said to undergo routine maintenance. The most recent inspection – which lasted for over one month – was conducted in June, the Global Times said.
In the recent collision, 15 of the riders on the docked train had already stepped off, but nine others were still on it when the collision happened.
The theme park on Friday said only “eight were injured in the incident and brought to hospital for treatment. They were in stable condition.”
However, families of victims questioned the number of injured released by the park.
Chen, the mother of an injured 16-year-old boy, said her son’s head was found to be severely injured after he was taken to University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital. He was unconscious at the scene.
”It’s impossible that only eight have been injured! There are already four victims in the intensive care unit of this hospital alone,” she said. She said other victims were taken to Shenzhen Overseas Chinese City Hospital and the People’s Hospital of Nanshan District.
Chen said her son suffered intracranial hemorrhage and a skull fracture. Some pieces of bone were found in some blood vessels, posing a risk of those vessels bursting, she added.
A rider, Wang, said the number of injured was “definitely over eight.” His wife was in the ICU at the HKU-SZH as of Saturday. She was sitting in the first row of the stationary train.
”It was at such a high speed that it only took a second for the trains to collide,” said Wang, who got off the train before the collision. “I intended to rush over to … my wife … but I froze as everything happened so suddenly.”
His wife suffered and injury to the abdomen and “lost as much as 500 milliliters of blood.” Some who were injured left the scene immediately after they climbed out of the coaster, he added.
He also said the park has yet to inform victims and their families about the reason behind the mishap.
A source told local media that the eight injured only referred to the number of injured sent to the HKU-SZH. But all the injured were in stable condition as of yesterday, the source added. Reports said 17 people remained in hospital as of Saturday.
Lo Kok-keung, a fellow at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers in Hong Kong, said the incident might be related to the failure of the conveyor belt that pulls the roller coaster up, as well as the braking system.
There were no Hongkongers among the injured.
ayra.wang@singtaonewscorp.com
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