Shenzhen theme park closed after 8 people injured in roller coaster collision

A distressing incident occurred at a theme park in Shenzhen, China, when two roller coaster trains collided. This unfortunate event resulted in eight people sustaining injuries. The incident took place on a Friday evening at the Shenzhen Happy Valley theme park. The park's management promptly informed the public about the incident via their Weibo account, a popular social media platform in China. Following the accident, the park was temporarily closed for the weekend to conduct a comprehensive safety check. The collision occurred on a roller coaster named the Snowy Eagle. The injured individuals are reported to be in a stable condition. The park offered a full refund to those who had purchased tickets for the weekend.

The majority of the injured individuals were transported to the University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital, as reported by local media. A hospital employee disclosed that four of the injured were receiving treatment in the intensive care unit, a specialized section of the hospital for critically ill patients. However, she refrained from providing further details. She did mention that those with minor injuries had been discharged. A report from Beijing News revealed that three men and a woman were being treated in the hospital’s intensive care unit, with one of them suffering from severe head injuries. An official from Shenzhen’s Information Office stated that the cause of the accident was still under investigation.

Shenzhen Happy Valley, which opened its doors in 1998, is operated by the state-owned conglomerate, the Overseas Chinese Town Group. The Snowy Eagle roller coaster is the park's main attraction, boasting the title of Asia's tallest and longest catapult roller coaster. The construction of this ride cost over 200 million yuan, equivalent to approximately 27. 3 million US dollars. The roller coaster, which has been operational for 11 years, can reach a speed of 135km/h in a mere 2 seconds. In 2018, Shenzhen Happy Valley was fined 200,000 yuan due to negligence that resulted in two people getting injured in a crash on its Happy Trunk monorail. The park's general manager, Yue Feng, urged the staff to enhance checks on equipment during a safety meeting.