More details surrounding the horrific accident that’s claimed the lives of four people at Dreamworld theme park on the Gold Coast are filtering through.
Officials, including Dreamworld’s CEO Craig Davidson, held a press conference confirming that two of the victims are male and two are female, with their ages ranging from 32 to early 40s.
Gavin Fuller, of the QLD Ambulance Service, also confirmed the accident occurred after a “malfunction” on the Thunder River Rapids, a family ride that sends you down man-made rapids at speeds of up to 45 km/h.
Two of those killed were “ejected” from the ride, while the other two “remained” in the car, though he refused to comment on reports they were trapped underwater after it flipped over.
Theme park staff administered first aid before emergency services arrived at the scene but all four “sustained injuries incompatible with living”, he said.
The identity of the four victims is yet to be fully established, which means next-of-kin remain uninformed.
Davidson, who has been the CEO of Dreamworld since 2013, expressed his devastation at the tragic accident.
“We’re deeply shocked and saddened by this and our hearts and our thoughts go the families involved and their loved ones.”
You can watch the full press conference HERE.
Dreamworld earlier released a statement saying it’s working with authorities to piece together exactly what happened as quickly as possible.
“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,” it read.
PM Malcolm Turnbull also gave a brief statement about the accident via his office, calling it “very very sad”.
“This is a very, very sad and tragic event. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of those who lost their lives.We trust there will be a very thorough investigation into the causes of this incident in the days that follow.”
Detectives, the forensic crash unit, workplace health and safety and the coroner remain at the scene.
We’ll update this story as more information comes to hand.
Photo. Twitter / @QldAmbulance.
