Ride attendant killed in accident at carnival
By Dong Zhen (Shanghai Daily)
Updated: 2005-10-15 09:20

A ride attendant was killed while operating a roller coaster at the 2005 Global Carnival in Pudong yesterday, a death event organizers blame on the man's breach of safe work rules.

The roller coaster was closed after the accident. [eastday.com]

Police and carnival organizers refused to identify the dead worker yesterday, except to say he hailed from India.

The man was killed at 12:45pm while operating Freiji's Euro Star, the largest roller coaster at the Shanghai carnival.

Carnival organizers said the man, for reasons still unknown, walked onto the roller coaster's track and his coat was snagged by a running train, which knocked him over.

The man fell from the highest point of the track and died immediately, according to one witness, who didn't want his name used.

No visitors to the park were hurt during the incident, according to the carnival organizers.

The 11-meter high roller coaster is owned and operated by Freiji Entertainment Co Ltd. Attendants running the ride were all hired and supervised by Freiji, not the organizers of the carnival.

In a statement issued late yesterday afternoon, carnival organizers said the accident was not related to any safety flaws with the machine itself, but was caused by the improper behavior of the dead worker.

"His supervisor had warned him not to approach the track area, but he still did and got killed," said carnival vice director Xu Weijie.

The ride was completely cordoned off by yellow police tape and several police officers and security guards yesterday afternoon.

Organizers said the roller coaster was closed after the accident, but didn't say when it would open again.

Shanghai police are still investigating the mishap.

Organizers claimed the accident was an isolated incident and would not hamper normal operations of the carnival.

Crowds of people were still lining up to await their turn to enjoy other rides at the carnival yesterday afternoon.

It is still unclear how much training the dead man received before he began operating the ride. Freiji is responsible for training those operating its rides.

The Euro Star was noted as the biggest attraction at the carnival in many media reports prior to the events opening. The carnival opened on September 28 and will run through November 20.

The three-story high roller coaster reaches a maximum speed of 50 kilometers an hour.