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| Four seriously hurt in Alton Towers rollercoaster crash | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Four teenagers have been seriously hurt in a crash between two carriages on a rollercoaster ride at Alton Towers. | |
| Sixteen people were in one carriage of the Smiler ride; the other was empty. | |
| The Staffordshire resort said its first aid staff were on the scene and emergency crews were building a platform to help reach riders. | |
| Eyewitnesses reported hearing "screaming and shouting" and "a loud crash" when the collision occurred at 14:09 BST. | |
| West Midlands Ambulance Service said: "There are 16 patients on board The Smiler requiring triage, four of which have reported serious injuries." | |
| Eyewitness Ben Richardson said: "When the second carriage crashed people were screaming and shouting - even after it stopped. Everyone around the park ran over. | Eyewitness Ben Richardson said: "When the second carriage crashed people were screaming and shouting - even after it stopped. Everyone around the park ran over. |
| "The people looked significantly distressed. It was almost like a car crash, very full on." | "The people looked significantly distressed. It was almost like a car crash, very full on." |
| 'Serious injuries' | |
| Sophie Underwood, who was in the park at the time, said: "It wasn't very high but it was obviously high enough for them to cause some quite serious injuries to the people that were on the rollercoaster. | |
| "They literally had come back off and round the back of a loop, and straight into another empty coach that had been stuck. | |
| "There was a big crash, and I think there were quite a few people that were angry because they said that they had told the staff that the coach before had stopped but they hadn't actually called through." | |
| Ellis Dyson, 23, who was in the queue for the ride, added: "The ride was delayed because of a technical fault for a while and then the ride came back on. | |
| "They sent a carriage without any people on it first and then sent a carriage with people on and that was the one that crashed. The platform of the ride where we were vibrated and a massive loud crash." | |
| Visitors reported on social media that the ride had broken down earlier in the day. | |
| Lucy Farrugia said: "Smiler broke down when I was on it this morning and now it's crashed. Hope everyone on it is OK, saw the air ambulance arrive." | |
| Merlin Entertainment, which runs the resort, said in a statement: "There has been an incident on the Smiler this afternoon involving two carriages coming together on a low section of the track. One of the carriages was empty and the other had 16 guests in. | Merlin Entertainment, which runs the resort, said in a statement: "There has been an incident on the Smiler this afternoon involving two carriages coming together on a low section of the track. One of the carriages was empty and the other had 16 guests in. |
| "The resort's fully qualified first responders were on the scene immediately to assist with the evacuation which is ongoing, and the area has been closed to allow for access to emergency services vehicles." | |
| 14-loop rollercoaster | |
| The Smiler opened in May 2013 and is billed as the world's first 14-loop rollercoaster. | The Smiler opened in May 2013 and is billed as the world's first 14-loop rollercoaster. |
| It holds the official Guinness World Record for most loops in a rollercoaster, according to the Alton Towers website. | It holds the official Guinness World Record for most loops in a rollercoaster, according to the Alton Towers website. |
| The resort claims it features "a series of twisted psychological effects including optical illusions, blinding lights and near misses designed to mess with your mind". | |
| There have been several accidents and incidents involving the £18m ride since it opened in May 2013. | |
| 'Left dangling' | |
| A group of 16 journalists were left dangling on it at a steep angle as they tried out the rollercoaster before it opened to the public. | |
| The ride shut for four days in July 2013 after a piece fell off the track, and 48 people had to be rescued. | |
| It closed again in August 2013 for five days due to a "technical issue". | |
| In November 2013 it closed for five days after wheels fell off and hit four people in the front carriage. The injured people were looked after by park staff and did not need treatment by the ambulance service, a spokeswoman said at the time. | |
| Riders were also left stranded in the air when the ride ground to a halt at the top of a near vertical section 14 months ago. | |
| It its statement Merlin Entertainment added there would be a "full investigation once we have recovered the guests who are our priority." | |
| Are you at Alton Towers? Have you been affected by what's happened? You can email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk. If you would be happy to speak further to a BBC journalist, please include a contact telephone number when emailing us your details. | Are you at Alton Towers? Have you been affected by what's happened? You can email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk. If you would be happy to speak further to a BBC journalist, please include a contact telephone number when emailing us your details. |
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