Girl dies after being thrown from Chinese theme park ride
The girl died after being flung from an amusement park ride in China. (People's Daily, China)
A 13-year-old girl has died after she was flung from a fast-turning theme park ride in south-west China.
Footage aired on state media showed the girl flying out of the Travel Through Space ride on Friday afternoon, as seats repeatedly spun round 360 degrees.
Media reports say she fell on to railings and was taken to a hospital, where she died.
China's product safety regulator said in a statement that an initial investigation showed her seatbelt had broken and a passenger safety bar did not fit tightly enough at the Chaohua Park in Fengdu county, which comes under Chongqing municipality.
The West China Metropolis Daily yesterday reported that the girl's family had reached a compensation agreement with the park for their only child's death amounting to about $165,000.
The newspaper also said the ride had passed a routine quality inspection in December.
The General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine said that it had asked Chongqing authorities to suspend all the park's large amusement facilities to "carry out checks and eliminate hidden dangers".
It also ordered companies operating the same Travel Through Space ride across the country to immediately halt its use and contact its Chengdu city-based manufacturer for further checks.
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