BIn an accident on a roller coaster at Legoland in Günzburg, Swabia, at least 31 people were injured, one of them seriously. A police spokesman said on Thursday the German Press Agency. The police had previously spoken of 34 injured and one seriously injured. A roller coaster train braked sharply on Thursday and another train drove onto it. Three rescue helicopters are in use, the fire brigade and rescue service have been deployed for a large-scale operation.
According to a spokeswoman for Legoland, the accident happened in the station area of the “Feuerdrache” roller coaster. All available Legoland rescue workers were deployed. The amusement park initially remained open despite the accident. It was initially unclear why the trains on the roller coaster collided.
The “Feuerdrache” roller coaster first leads through a covered, darkened area of the park. In the course of the ride, you then go in the fresh air over a stretch with slopes and a few curves. According to park information, the roller coaster travels at speeds of up to eight meters per second, which corresponds to around 29 kilometers per hour.
Legoland opened in 2002
Last Saturday there was a fatal incident on a roller coaster ride in an amusement park in Klotten on the Moselle in Rhineland-Palatinate. A 57-year-old woman fell out of the moving attraction. She suffered fatal injuries. It is still unclear why the woman fell off the roller coaster. The park has been open to visitors again since Tuesday, but the roller coaster initially stopped. The reason for this was that the district had temporarily prohibited the operation of the railway.
Legoland was opened in 2002 on Autobahn 8 (Stuttgart-Munich). Günzburg prevailed against around 300 other possible locations around the world – including Tokyo. There are now ten themed areas with more than 60 attractions in the park. Legoland also has its own holiday village for short breaks. Around 1100 employees work in Günzburg’s Legoland during the season. After opening, the park initially reported around 1.3 million guests per season, but the company later no longer announced the exact number of visitors.
In addition to the German Legoland Park, the operator Merlin Entertainments, based in England, also owns numerous other amusement parks. According to the company, 140 facilities belong to the group.
A new roller coaster is currently being built in Legoland. In the coming year, a new themed area with the railway is to be opened. With more than 15.5 million euros, this part is the largest single investment by the operator Merlin Entertainments in the amusement park since it opened 20 years ago, Legoland reported a few months ago. The new roller coaster is to be built in such a way that elementary school children can also ride it.
