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| Alton Towers crash: Rollercoaster testing competition cancelled after The Smiler incident | |
| (34 minutes later) | |
| Alton Towers has cancelled its competition for a roller coaster tester to try out The Smiler after a crash left four people in hospital. | Alton Towers has cancelled its competition for a roller coaster tester to try out The Smiler after a crash left four people in hospital. |
| The theme park, in Staffordshire, had been advertising to find a tester for its “Big Six” of rides, also including Oblivion, Nemesis, Thi3teen, Rita and Air. | The theme park, in Staffordshire, had been advertising to find a tester for its “Big Six” of rides, also including Oblivion, Nemesis, Thi3teen, Rita and Air. |
| Winners would have been given the chance to ride them before they were opened to the public and receive an annual pass for Alton Towers. | Winners would have been given the chance to ride them before they were opened to the public and receive an annual pass for Alton Towers. |
| “Have you got what it takes to test out the Big Six?” a Facebook post said. | “Have you got what it takes to test out the Big Six?” a Facebook post said. |
| “A panel of rollercoaster experts including legendary designer John Wardley will judge the entries, you have until the 12th of June to enter!” | “A panel of rollercoaster experts including legendary designer John Wardley will judge the entries, you have until the 12th of June to enter!” |
| Originally the contest was open to people over the age of 18 but due to “popular request” the age limit was reduced to 14, the BBC reported. | Originally the contest was open to people over the age of 18 but due to “popular request” the age limit was reduced to 14, the BBC reported. |
| The competition’s web page has since been removed and anyone trying to access it is met with a generic error message. | The competition’s web page has since been removed and anyone trying to access it is met with a generic error message. |
| A spokesperson for Alton Towers said: “In light of yesterday’s incident, the rollercoaster tester competition is no longer running. The entrants will be contacted individually in due course.” | A spokesperson for Alton Towers said: “In light of yesterday’s incident, the rollercoaster tester competition is no longer running. The entrants will be contacted individually in due course.” |
| Four riders on The Smiler were hospitalised with serious injuries after accident on Tuesday, including one who may have lost a leg, according to unconfirmed reports. An image from the scene showing one of the Smiler's crashed carriages | Four riders on The Smiler were hospitalised with serious injuries after accident on Tuesday, including one who may have lost a leg, according to unconfirmed reports. An image from the scene showing one of the Smiler's crashed carriages |
| They were among 16 people in a carriage of the 53mph roller coaster when it rammed into a stationary cart sitting on the track after a test run. | They were among 16 people in a carriage of the 53mph roller coaster when it rammed into a stationary cart sitting on the track after a test run. |
| Alton Towers remained closed today after the accident, which was witnessed by horrified onlookers who described “blood everywhere” and filmed trapped passengers screaming in pain and shouting “help us”. | Alton Towers remained closed today after the accident, which was witnessed by horrified onlookers who described “blood everywhere” and filmed trapped passengers screaming in pain and shouting “help us”. |
| Witnesses said they were told there were “technical issues” with The Smiler and were delayed while it was doing test runs shortly before the crash at 2pm. | Witnesses said they were told there were “technical issues” with The Smiler and were delayed while it was doing test runs shortly before the crash at 2pm. |
| Some of the passengers were trapped for more than four hours and the emergency services had to build a platform on the tracks to reach them. An ambulance driving past The Smiler after the crash | Some of the passengers were trapped for more than four hours and the emergency services had to build a platform on the tracks to reach them. An ambulance driving past The Smiler after the crash |
| One person has since been discharged from the Royal Stoke University Hospital and a Health and Safety Executive investigation is underway. | One person has since been discharged from the Royal Stoke University Hospital and a Health and Safety Executive investigation is underway. |
| Nick Varney, chief executive of Merlin Entertainments, which owns the park, said the two carriages should not have been on the same piece of track and that a fail-safe “didn't work the way it was supposed to”. | Nick Varney, chief executive of Merlin Entertainments, which owns the park, said the two carriages should not have been on the same piece of track and that a fail-safe “didn't work the way it was supposed to”. |
| He added: “This has been a terrible incident and a devastating day for everyone here. We have a very strong record of safe operation of our rides here at Alton Towers and it is our priority. | He added: “This has been a terrible incident and a devastating day for everyone here. We have a very strong record of safe operation of our rides here at Alton Towers and it is our priority. |
| “I would like to express my sincerest regret and apology to everyone who suffered injury and distress and to their families.” | “I would like to express my sincerest regret and apology to everyone who suffered injury and distress and to their families.” |