Thread: Bangkok Siam Park 6 injured in accident

AMUSEMENT TRAGEDY
Woman dies as ride fails at Siam Park
Police charge 2 workers; safety checks 'flawed'

One woman was killed and five people injured in an amusement ride accident at Siam Park yesterday, the park's deputy manager said.

The accident, on the Indiana Log ride, happened at 12.30pm. It sparked calls for better safety rules for amusement parks.

Noppakarn Luang-amornlert, deputy administration manager at the park, said the accident happened because a sudden drop in power caused a water pump to fail - so there was no water for the ride to float on. The ride ran all the way from the top to the bottom of a hill and crashed, because there wasn't enough water to cushion the impact.

The ride usually careers down a waterway at a speed of 50 kilometres per hour.

"I was shocked to learn about the accident because it's never happened," Noppakarn said.

Six people - two adults and four children - who were on the ride were rushed to Nopparat Ratchathani Hospital.

They were identified as Patchadaporn Kongkarian, 35, Sampan Wong-anu, 32, Supattra Wong-anu, 9, Woranart Nakhamyaek, 9, Alisa Buarouy, 10, and Natthikamol Monjathuras, 11. Patchadaporn died later in hospital following an operation.

Park public-relations chief Pornsri Chanthornkhanma said the accident was caused by a power system disruption. This cut the pump supplying water to the ride. Two boats were stranded for two to three minutes, she said. When the water flow resumed, it forced one boat into the rear of the boat carrying the victims.

Patchadaporn's husband, Samphan Wonganu, 33, said he and family members were in the rear boat.

Samphan, who suffered minor injuries, said the water flow stopped shortly after his boat launched. He said the impact of the collision knocked his wife from her boat.

Bang Chan police said two ride operators - Todsaphon Makusa, 20, and Supalak Thapthong, 20 - were helping with their inquiries.

The investigating officers said they had already accused them of carelessness causing death.

Wivat Chamnandham, vice president of Siam Park City, said the company would take responsibility for the accident and provide Bt10,000 in compensation to all of the injured.

Dr Adisak Plitponkarnpim, head of the Child Safety Promotion and Injury Prevention Research Centre at Ramathibodi Hospital, said the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration and the Department of Public Works and Town and Country Planning must take responsibility and look into the incident.

He said the government lacked rules on safety standards at amusement parks. Such controls should be put in place as soon as they were drafted by the Department of Public Works and Town and Country Planning. The last time such an accident took place was in 2004 at Fashion Island mall.

Adisak said the regulations should include warnings, an age limit on participants and guidelines for ride operators.

The Nation