Thursday, December 26, 2024

Human, technical error seen in roller coaster accident that killed 2

Mexico City prosecutors are investigating an accident on a roller coaster in the Feria de Chapultepec amusement park that killed two people on Saturday.

The borough of Miguel Hidalgo, where the park is located, said the company that operates the park follows a security program with the borough, and that investigators should focus their efforts on the program’s records, which include a maintenance and operations calendar.

“Prosecutors should focus investigations on the records, especially for the Quimera ride, because someone didn’t do their job,” the borough said in a statement.

Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum said the city could ask for international help in investigating the accident.

“We need to find out if the protocols we have in the city are the same as in other parts of the world,” she said. “The Civil Defense Secretariat will look over it and will call different international organizations, which we will announce later, because the most important thing is to ensure the security of people who go to amusement parks.”

She added that if anyone is found to be criminally responsible, they will be punished.

The accident happened on Saturday around 1:30pm when the last car on the ride derailed and fell about 10 meters to the ground. Two young men were killed in the fall and two women were seriously injured. The operator said the park will remain closed for one or two weeks.

Park vendors who spoke with the newspaper El Universal said that technical problems with the ride had existed for about three years, but had been ignored by the park’s management.

Source: El Universal (sp)

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