A brother and sister were among four people killed on a ride at a theme park on Australia's Gold Coast.

Two men and two women in their 30s and 40s died in the accident on the Thunder River Rapids ride at Dreamworld.

Police said two children thrown clear were lucky to be alive.

CCTV footage has shown that the ride was nearing its end when two rafts collided, Queensland Police Assistant Commissioner Brian Codd said.

Image: Roozi Araghi (L) and Luke Dorsett were both killed on the ride

"One has flipped backward and it has caught and tossed some of the people that were on the ride backward into the conveyor belt," he told reporters.


The theme park in the Gold Coast suburb of Coomera has been closed and an investigation into the cause of the incident is under way.

Kim Dorsett, of Canberra, confirmed that two of the victims were her children - Kate Goodchild, 32, and Luke Dorsett, 35.

Image: Kate Goodchild, 32, was on holiday with her family on the Gold Coast

"I have three children and have lost two of them today - my whole family has been wiped out," she told The Courier-Mail newspaper.

Ms Dorsett was on a family holiday with her children and Ms Goodchild's daughters from Canberra.

The two other victims have been identified in Australian media reports as Roozi Araghi, 38, and 42-year-old Cindy Low.

Ms Low was a New Zealand expat who lived in Sydney and Mr Araghi was Mr Dorsett's partner, according to 9 News.

Image: Emergency services next to the rapids ride at the Dreamworld theme park

The two children thrown clear of the raft were a 10-year-old boy and a 12-year-old girl.

Mr Codd added: "In terms of how they escaped, maybe through the providence of God or somebody, but it seems from what I've seen almost a miracle that anybody came out of that."

The Dreamworld website describes the Thunder River Rapids as a "white water rafting" ride which travels at up to 27mph (45kph).

Visitors as young as two years old are allowed on the ride.

Image: Police are investigating reports of problems with the ride earlier on Tuesday

Police are investigating reports of problems with the ride earlier on Tuesday, as well as maintenance records and operating procedures.

Ben Swan, Queensland secretary of the Australian Workers Union, said the organisation had voiced concerns about the operation and maintenance of some equipment at Dreamworld last year, although not about the river rapids ride.

Image: The park's bosses said they were 'deeply shocked' by what happened

Dreamworld chief executive Craig Davidson said: "We are deeply shocked and saddened by this and our hearts and thoughts go to the families involved and their loved ones."

In a statement, the theme park said it was "working as quickly as possible to establish the facts around the incident".

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said it was a "very, very, sad, tragic event".