Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Woman falls 26ft to her death from rollercoaster ‘after slipping out of seat’

Unclear how woman slipped free from car, investigators say

Matt Mathers
Tuesday 09 August 2022 12:05 BST
Comments
Related video: People are rescued from a rollercoaster
Leer en Español

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

A woman died after falling 26ft from a moving rollercoaster in Germany, authorities have said.

The deceased, who has not been named, fell from a ride at the Klotti wildlife and leisure park in Klotten, Rhineland-Palatinate, at around 4.30pm on Saturday.

Koblenz public prosecutor's office said it was not exactly clear how the 57-year-old woman, from St Wendel, Saarland, came free from the car.

Officials said she slid in her seat in a curve before falling from the track, which was about 8 metres (26ft) high.

Emergency workers responded but the woman was pronounced dead at the scene.

Investigators are now working to establish cause of death and an autopsy was due to be carried out.

Engineering experts will examine the rollercoaster and the car for possible causes of the incident.

Witnesses will be located and interviewed.

The prosecutor’s office said that their initial investigations suggested there was no suspicion of criminal conduct.

The park was closed following the incident and remained shut indefinitely.

Klotti Park said in a statement: "We would like to take this opportunity to express our deepest sympathy to the family, relatives and friends.

"Our KLOTTI team is still shocked and stunned.

"Since the cause of the accident is still unclear, we cannot yet estimate what operations will be like in the next few days.

"Thank you for your understanding."

Klotti was initially built as a wildlife park in the 1970s. Since then owners have developed the site into a leisure and adventure park for families.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in