Dreamworld tragedy: “A very sad day”
Police have confirmed at least four people have died in an accident while riding the Thunder River Rapids ride at Dreamworld on the Gold Coast.
The victims, whose identities have not yet been confirmed, were adults; two females and two males.
The accident was caused by “some sort of malfunction,” said Queensland Ambulance’s Gavin Fuller, who added that paramedics were “deeply affected” by what they saw.
The cause of the deaths has not yet been released and Queensland Police’s Insp Todd Reed said a crime scene had been established.
Gold Coast mayor called it “a very sad day for our city.”
Dreamworld promotes Thunder River Rapids as a “family ride” taking people “down a foamy water track” at speeds of up 45 kmh.
“Dreamworld is working as quickly as possible to establish the facts around the incident and is working closely with emergency authorities and police to do this,” said the theme park in a statement. "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.”