The inquest into the deaths of four tourists at Dreamworld has ended after 31 days of testimony that savaged the reputation of Australia’s largest theme park.

The inquest into the deaths of Cindy Low, Kate Goodchild, her brother, Luke Dorsett, and his partner, Roozi Araghi, on the Thunder River Rapids ride at the Gold Coast theme park heard confronting evidence.

Three of the four were flung into a mechanised conveyor when a water pump failed and the raft they were riding collided with another and partially flipped on 25 October 2016.

Panicked staff did not know what to do, with a radio call saying simply there was a “raft in the conveyor” – the first indication something disastrous had happened.

Missing slats on the conveyor belt created a void large enough for the rear of the second raft to be drawn into the gap.

A crucial delay in stopping the ride caused the jammed raft to be shaken and a fourth person to fall into the machinery.

Despite the efforts of paramedics, the four never had a chance of survival. Goodchild’s 12-year-old daughter and Low’s 10-year-old son survived the disaster.

The wide-ranging inquest, which opened in June, unveiled a litany of problems. Dreamworld’s training systems were heavily criticised, with revelations staff operating the ride had been given only 90 minutes of training.

The inquest heard a memo sent to Dreamworld staff days before the tragedy warned an emergency stop button near the unloading dock of the ride was only to be pushed in certain circumstances.

Dreamworld executives had stopped spending money on repairs and maintenance in the months before the fatal accident, the inquest heard.

A March 2016 meeting outlined monthly expenditure was $125,000 over budget on a year-to-date basis.

“Revenue is up but profit is down, cutbacks are now being enforced,” the document stated. “Repairs and maintenance spending needs to stop, only CAPEX (capital expenditure).”

Dreamworld staff admitted there had been a “total failure” to identify risks with the ride and a series of equipment failures before the accident should have raised red flags.

Police gave evidence that multiple safety recommendations following those incidents were not implemented, including the installation of automatic sensors to detect falling water levels or a simple single total shutdown switch.

The ride was also heavily criticised as “unsafe” as it had no proper maintenance schedules, and extensive cracking and corrosion, with parts of the structure “propped up with timber”.

Workplace Health and Safety engineers said significant alterations to the ride had never been assessed or approved and made the ride “more hazardous”.

The tragedy has prompted a review of inspection procedures and a major overhaul of theme park safety across Queensland.

Gary Weiss of Ardent Leisure, which owns Dreamworld, issued a statement to express remorse and deep regret over the accident.

“Our thoughts remain with the victims’ families and everyone who has been affected by this terrible tragedy,” it said.

The coroner, James McDougall, is expected to hand down his findings next year.