A tragic accident at Australia’s Dreamworld theme park in Queensland has led to the death of four people. Siblings Kate Goodchild, 32, and Luke Dorsett, 35, and his partner, Roozi Araghi, 38, died in the accident on Tuesday afternoon, along with Cindy Low, 42.
Queensland police and other emergency authorities have released brief statements about what happened. A spokeswoman for Dreamworld said it was “devastated and shocked” and was working closely with authorities to determine what happened.
There are still questions left unanswered about the tragic series of events. But here’s what we know so far.
When did the accident occur?
At 2.20pm on Tuesday park operators were alerted to an incident on the Thunder River Rapids ride. It’s one of Dreamworld’s biggest attractions, where tourists are sent on a circular vessel down a series of rapids while being pushed along by a current. Towards the end of the ride, a fatal accident occurred that led to the death of four adults.
Queensland police and emergency services said two of the adults were “ejected” from the ride and another two were caught within it. Their injuries were severe. Emergency services described their injuries as “inconsistent with living”.
Two children who were also on the raft survived. Queensland police have described their survival as “almost a miracle”.
What happens now?
There are several government entities and law enforcement agencies trying to work out what happened.
The Queensland police forensic crash unit has been assessing the scene and Queensland’s workplace health and safety regulator is also involved.
But the most significant and long-reaching investigation is likely to be the Queensland coronial inquest. The coroner’s office has sweeping powers to gather information and compel witnesses to give evidence.
How does the Thunder River Rapids ride work?
The ride is one of the most popular attractions at the theme park. It carries groups of passengers in a raft along a canal, buoyed by fast-moving water. Metal tubes guide the raft and there’s a lot of movement.
At the end of the ride a conveyor belt lifts the raft on to a small incline and places it back near the beginning of the ride. It is understood this is where the incident occurred.
Guardian Australia understands there is an alarm system for the rapids ride that is tested each morning. When an alarm goes off engineers must check to see if there are any safety concerns.
Who’s responsible for overseeing the safety of rides?
Dreamworld and the company that owns the theme park, Ardent Leisure Limited, bear a substantial responsibility for what happens at the park. They’re required to maintain the rides and ensure they are functioning appropriately.
Queensland’s workplace health and safety regulator also plays a role in overseeing safety. It has inspected and investigated rides in the past, but it is unclear how regularly this happens.
The regulator has released a series of inspection forms and complaints that have been raised with it over the past four years. These reports were released in response to a freedom of information request from the Australian Workers Union. The union, which represents workers at the theme park, has been critical of Dreamworld’s management and maintenance. It said there have been a number of concerns raised with them over the past 18 months.
Has anything like this ever happened before?
In 1999 a woman died at the Six Flags theme park in Texas on a similar type of rapids ride. In that case a raft had deflated during the ride which caused it to flip over. Ten others were injured, and the dead woman’s family received a $4m settlement from the theme park operator.
