A person is dead and several others were hurt in an event on a rollercoaster at Six Flags Over Georgia, an amusement park in the US state of Georgia. Police in Cobb County said they are investigating the death, which occurred at the park roughly 15 miles (24km) from Atlanta.
Officials have not said how the person died, and police have not specified which ride was involved.
Goliath ride halted midway as workers aided riders
Aerial images from news helicopters appeared to show the Goliath rollercoaster stopped partway through its course, with employees assisting riders off the ride. Witnesses told local media they saw a man thrown from the attraction, but those accounts have not been verified.
One witness told a local station that the man came down on the roof of a haunted house attraction nearby.
Park and local officials respond to the fatal incident
Six Flags Over Georgia said it was deeply saddened by what happened at the park that day and extended its condolences to the person’s relatives, friends and loved ones. A park spokesperson added that staff and local authorities responded immediately and are cooperating in an investigation.
Mableton Mayor Michael Owens said the city’s public safety director is coordinating with local police and park security.
Goliath specifications and Six Flags’ recent X2 closure
According to the park’s website, Goliath opened in 2006 and stands 200ft (60m) tall. It includes a 170ft drop and a 540-degree spiral, reaching speeds of up to 70mph (112km/h). Six Flags rates the ride four out of five on its thrill scale.
Six Flags is the largest amusement park operator in North America, running 20 amusement parks, 14 water parks and nine resorts across Canada, the US and Mexico.
The incident follows weeks after a southern California park announced it would close its X2 rollercoaster, after more than 100 people alleged brain injuries from the ride. Six Flags said the ride had passed a range of safety tests, but it chose to retire it because doing so was “the right thing to do”.
