One killed, seven injured in rollercoaster crash in Sweden

‘People fell to ground’ after rollercoaster partly derailed at Grona Lund amusement park in Stockholm

Police at the Grona Lund amusement park after a carriage derailed on the Jetline roller coaster, leaving one person dead. Photograph: CLAUDIO BRESCIANI/TT NEWS AGENCY/AFP via Getty Images
Police at the Grona Lund amusement park after a carriage derailed on the Jetline roller coaster, leaving one person dead. Photograph: CLAUDIO BRESCIANI/TT NEWS AGENCY/AFP via Getty Images

One person was killed and seven injured in a rollercoaster crash at the Grona Lund amusement park in the Swedish capital on Sunday.

Witnesses said the park’s Jetline rollercoaster had partly derailed during a ride, sending people crashing to the ground.

“This is tragic and shocking, and regrettably we’ve learned that one person has died,” Grona Lund spokesperson Annika Troselius told public broadcaster SVT.

Ambulances, fire trucks and a helicopter were seen arriving at the Stockholm park, and police opened an investigation.

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Police said there were children and adults among those injured.

Grona Lund said in a statement the 140-year-old park was closed until further notice. A spokesperson could not immediately be reached for comment.

Jenny Lagerstedt, a journalist visiting the park with her family, told SVT she was nearby and heard a metallic noise and noticed the track structure was shaking at the time of the incident.

“My husband saw a rollercoaster car with people in it falling to the ground,” Lagerstedt said. “My children were scared,” she added.

The steel-tracked Jetline rollercoaster reaches a speed of up to 90km/h (56mph) and a height of 30m (98f), transporting more than one million visitors each year, the amusement park says on its website.

Sweden’s Culture Minister Parisa Liljestrand said news of the crash was incomprehensible.

“My thoughts are with those that were affected as well as their families and loved ones,” Liljestrand said in a statement to the TT news agency. – Reuters