Last update: 21:30 04/06/15
Welcome to our Thursday evening news round up following the Tuesday’s incident on The Smiler. The park’s newest thrill coaster injured 16 guests, 4 of them seriously when a train collided with another empty train which had stalled on the track. The park, its owners Merlin Entertainments and the HSE are currently conducting an investigation into how the incident occurred.
Alton Towers to remain closed for a third day
Alton Towers have confirmed the theme park will remain closed for a third day (Friday 5th June). At present, there is no news on whether the park will be open for the coming weekend.
The park released the following statement:
“Due to the ongoing investigation into the incident on The Smiler earlier this week, Alton Towers Theme Park will remain closed tomorrow – Friday 5th June.
All guests with pre-booked tickets, or those who arrive at the theme park, will have the choice of either having their tickets revalidated for an alternative date or a full refund.
Any guests who have pre-booked tickets also have the option to use their tickets tomorrow at one of the following attractions: Warwick Castle,Thorpe Park, Chessington World of Adventures or LEGOLAND Windsor. You will need to present your Alton Towers tickets at the attractions admission kiosks to gain entry.
We will be posting all updates on the theme park closure on both our website and social media channels.”
News and social media coverage continues
Tuesday’s incident has continued to attract extensive coverage on TV and on the internet. Whilst many have shown support for the resort following the incident, there has also been criticism aimed toward Alton Towers for not calling 999 for 11 minutes. In response, Alton Towers said:
“Our community first responders, based on site at Alton Towers, are trained by West Midlands Ambulance Service and form part of our security and medical teams.
“Once the incident occurred, a member of the ride staff would have called our first responders who arrived at the scene within minutes.
“After instant assessment they call our security department who then call 999 straight away.”
Due to the resort’s rural location, Alton Towers have had an onsite ‘first responder’ team for some time. They are trained by West Midlands Ambulance Service, and also provide medical support, including 999 calls across the Staffordshire Moorlands community.
The incident continues to make headlines in local and national TV news bulletins and newspapers. It was also featured on this evening’s Watchdog. The consumer affairs programme has previously featured The Smiler after previous periods of downtime, and also touched on past incidents with the ride.
Thorpe Park’s Gerstlauer coaster remains closed
Over at Thorpe Park, SAW: The Ride, which shares the same manufacturer as The Smiler has been closed since Tuesday’s incident at Alton Towers. Despite technically being a different model of coaster, the two rides share many similarities and its presumed that the park’s owners Merlin Entertainments have chosen to close the ride pending the investigation into The Smiler. Replies by Thorpe Park to guests on social media are confirming the ride will also be closed tomorrow (Friday 5th June).
TowersStreet will continue to bring you news on the park’s reopening and on the progress of the investigation into how the incident occurred. We also have our Talk forums, where you can discuss Alton Towers and parks around the globe.
