Following on from yesterdays accident on The Smiler, Alton Towers has taken the decision to extend the park closure to include (tomorrow) 4th June 2015.
The official Alton Towers Resort website has the following statement:
Theme Park Closure Update
Following the dreadful incident on The Smiler at Alton Towers theme park yesterday and the decision to close the theme park today, a further decision has been taken for the theme park to remain closed tomorrow Thursday 4th 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.”
Health and Safety Executive statement
In addition to the park closure, a statement has been released by the Health and Safety Executive regarding the ongoing investigation:
““This was a major incident and members of the public have suffered serious injuries. It meets the criteria for an HSE investigation and our inspectors were at Alton Towers yesterday to begin making inquiries.
“We have assembled a team of specialist inspectors and technical investigators and they will be on site today to continue our investigation.
“Our role is to establish the facts. We will want to determine that those responsible for operating this ride have done what the law requires. We will also ensure that if there are any lessons to be learned they are shared as soon as possible.
“Although the investigation is in its early stages, we will take action to protect the public if we uncover evidence that could affect the safety of other rides at the park or elsewhere.””
Nick Varney, Chief Executive of Merlin Entertainments has commented further today
“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 today and to their families. I would like to thank the emergency services and my own teams for their swift and effective response yesterday – they were outstanding. A full investigation is now underway and we will continue to work closely with the emergency services and the Health and Safety Executive to better understand the cause of this terrible accident.”
Stay with TowersStreet for more information as we have it. There is a live discussion thread over on the Talk Forum, and we are regularly updating our Facebook and Twitter channels.
