A HEAD-ON collision between two rollercoasters at a Madrid theme park has left 33 people with minor injuries – six of whom are children under 10.
The crash happened on Sunday at 14.30, leaving those on board with cuts, bruises and feeling sick and dizzy.
All bar six were taken to three different hospitals in the city, and the remainder refused treatment on site and said they would go to a health centre of their own free will later.
Sources from the park, based in the Casa de Campo area of Madrid, insisted that the rollercoaster had 'passed all safety checks' which are carried out daily.
They urged the public to 'remain calm', and stressed that all the injuries were minor.
Not everyone on the two rollercoasters was hurt – each one was carrying the maximum of 36, and many others nearby did not find out what had happened until they read it or saw it on the news.
But inspections carried out yesterday (Monday) showed that one of the engines on the rollercoaster was 'very badly deteriorated'.
It was shut immediately after the collision.
The ride, known as El Tren de la Mina ('The Mine Train'), opened five years ago and is 17.5 metres in height, covering a distance of 450 metres at a maximum of 55 kilometres per hour.
The crash is the third accident in four years at Madrid theme park, the first of which – in 2013 – led to the death of a German engineer who was trapped 30 metres above the ground when he was changing parts on one of the rides.
And in May this year, a 36-year-old technician was seriously injured when he was knocked down by a carriage on the Tornado, an upside-down rollercoaster.
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