
Eight children and two adults have been injured after a rollercoaster derailed and reportedly plunged 30ft to the ground in front of horrified onlookers at a Scottish theme park.

Eyewitnesses claimed the carriage smashed into a toddlers' ride when it hit the ground at M&D's theme park in Motherwell, near Glasgow, at around 3.40pm today.

All ten injured were taken to hospital for treatment. Four children remain at the Royal Hospital for Children. Three of them are in a serious condition, including a 12-year-old girl who suffered serious head injuries in the accident. The other child is described as stable.

One adult is in a stable condition at Glasgow Royal Infirmary, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde confirmed. NHS Lanarkshire said that five patients were taken to Wishaw General Hospital. One child has been discharged and the remaining three children and one adult are in a stable condition.

Among those taken to the hospital was 11-year-old Liam Boyle, whose family last night said would be fine.

Children were trapped in the wreckage, while a picture of a set of wheels on the ground suggest they had 'flown off' the carriage.

Other images from the scene show the derailed carriage stuck upside down with legs of those trapped inside flailing in the air. It is unclear at this stage how serious the injuries are, but witnesses reported one young boy 'may have lost a hand'.

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Eyewitness reports suggest the Tsnumai rollercoaster carriage fell 30ft to the ground at the park in Motherwell, Scotland

Pictured: The scene of the wreckage after the Tsunami rollercoaster carriage crashed at M&Ds theme park in Scotland today

A spokesman for the Scottish Ambulance Service said six ambulance crews and a specialist operation team were on the scene (pictured)

Last night one relative, who asked not to be named, was waiting for news of her 11-year-old grandson Liam Boyle, who had been taken to hospital in Glasgow.

She said: ‘We got a call from a lady who was with Liam, she said that she’d stay with him and that he was going to be fine. We just panicked. Then we got two calls from the police, the first was wrong and they told us that he was getting help breathing, but we found out that this was another boy who was taken away by helicopter.

‘Liam was taken in an ambulance, his dad John was stopping ambulances and managed to get the right one Liam was in so he went with him to the hospital.

‘We don’t know if he was on the ride, or has maybe been underneath and hit. We were crying and just in shock. It was just a group of young boys, I’m praying they’re all OK.’

Members of the public can be seen desperately rushing to try and help while emergency services are currently working at the scene in Strathclyde Country Park. The park has been evacuated.

Roselyn Rodger, 49, from Motherwell, said it suddenly ‘dropped like a bomb’.

The mother-of-six said: ‘I turned my head, I saw it derail and flip. And all I could see was it flipped and banged and crushed everything upside down on the ground.

‘Everyone was running in different directions and kids were screaming. It just shouldn’t have happened. Not in this day and age. The carriage only narrowly missed a little kid who was riding a bike.’

The crash was on the first weekend of the Scottish school holidays and the park, which has 750,000 visitors a year, was busy.

Witness Paul Mcfadden said on Facebook he had been near the ride when the crash happened and had tried to help two children who were injured.

He later told the Daily Mirror a young boy 'may have lost a hand' after it had been 'crushed'.

He said: 'He was lying on his back in the carriage, I think his right hand is really bad or he's even lost it. I want to find out if he's okay.'

One eyewitness at the scene, Gavin McNally, described it as 'carnage' and said it 'will be a miracle if there are no fatalities'.

A spokesman for the park said: 'A serious incident occurred at M&D's today involving the tsunami rollercoaster.

'We have all emergency services on site to assist. The theme park is closed until further notice.

'As a family-run business, our thoughts are with those who have been injured and their families. We wish everyone a full recovery.

'We are cooperating fully with Police Scotland and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) on their joint investigation to ascertain the cause of the accident.'

Speaking to reporters at the scene, Chief Inspector David Bruce said: 'Along with other emergency services we attended immediately and on arrival it became clear that a series of five gondolas connected on a train on the Tsunami ride have detached from the rails, struck the superstructure and then struck the ground.

'We have launched an investigation and an inquiry between Police Scotland and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).'

Emergency services were quickly on the scene, pictured, and nine children and two adults have been taken to hospital for treatment

One witness said he tried to help a young boy who 'may have lost a hand' after it was 'crushed' in the catastrophic incident

Mr Bruce added: 'They (the gondolas) fell less than 20 feet. It would appear that they have been coming round a bend and at that point it has detached. At this stage it's very, very early in the inquiry and we are still taking witness statements but the gondola had been in operation on the rollercoaster and it would appear that it has been coming round a bend.

'It's an inverted rollercoaster which means that the riders hang in gondolas below the rails rather than sit above them.

'It would appear to come off as it has come round a corner. It struck the ground but it hadn't struck anything on the ground.

'I don't know what speed it would have been travelling but it was operating and rollercoasters do travel at speed.'

A Police Scotland spokesman previously said: 'Emergency services are at the scene dealing with the incident at M&Ds theme park.

'At this time we are aware of 11 casualties - two adults and nine children, who are all being treated at local hospitals. We are unable to give more detail of their injuries at this stage.'

Bosses confirmed the park was closed earlier this evening and police remain on site conducting inquiries into how it happened

Witnesses said there was 'carnage' and 'chaos' at the park and 'no one knew what to do' before the emergency services arrived

A spokesman for the Scottish Ambulance Service said six ambulance crews and a specialist operation team were on the scene.

He said: 'I can confirm that we are attending an incident at M&Ds theme park in Motherwell.'

People took to Twitter to express their shock at the incident. One user posted to the social media site: 'Tsunami rollercoaster has left the tracks and crashed to the ground at M&Ds emergency services here attending so shocked.'

Shocked eyewitnesses have spoken of the horror which unfolded when a packed rollercoaster carriage derailed and plunged 30ft to the ground.

A 25-year-old man from Dundee who did not want to give his name said: 'There was a big screech and a massive bang.

'Me and my family were filling up our juices across from the area where the carriage fell. The screech sounded like a train coming to sharp stop and I can't quite described the bang.'

The man said people ran over to see what had happened and to help those trapped in the wreckage.

He added: 'People did not know what to do, it was chaos, they was shouting and screaming, I did not know if it was adults or children who were trapped but there was a lot of screaming.

'The staff were clueless, they did not know what to do. The people there started to try and right it, members of the public tried to get those stuck out of the black harnesses but they were stuck.'

According to this eyewitnesses he and six members of his family had planned to go on the ride but were waiting for the queue to go down as they did not have fast-track tickets.

He said after a couple of minutes staff at began ushering people away from the scene and the park was evacuated and shut to the public.

The theme park has confirmed it is now closed after a 'serious incident' with emergency services on site

People on Facebook said riders had been rushed to hospital while others claimed the ride had been closed yesterday

Witnesses said a group of men tried to turn over the carriage to free the people trapped inside.

One father at the park told the Daily Record: 'It was an unbelievable sight, seeing the full carriage upside down , on top of where those toddlers' cars are parked.

'I kew the ride was full with ten people because I was going to go on it myself just minutes earlier and decided against it because of the queue.

'The place was eerily quiet as everyone was in total shock.'

Others said on Facebook that people on the ride had been taken to hospital, while many said the ride had been closed for maintenance for much of yesterday.

A rollercoaster is said to have come off its tracks and plunged 30ft at a theme park in Scotland. Eyewitness reports suggest the Tsunami ride (pictured) came to the ground at M&D's theme park in Motherwell

It is understood eight to ten people were on board at the time. Children are among those feared trapped. One picture taken at the scene appears to show the wheels of the rollercoaster carriage on the ground (right)

People took to Twitter to express their shock at the incident at M&D's theme park in Motherwell, near Glasgow

Another added: 'The Tsunami just came off the rails at M&Ds. Absolute scenes. Kids look hurt!'

Katie Burns said she had just finished riding the Tsunami rollercoaster and was walking past when the carriage crashed with children on board.

On Facebook, she wrote: 'Literally got off the Tsunami at M&Ds and then walking past and the next lot of people get on and the full thing goes off the tracks.

'Honestly never been so scared in my life, with this weather they should not be on,

'Kids and adults are still on it upside down, it's like something out a horror film, children crying and everything.

Kids and adults are still on it upside down, it's like something out a horror film, children crying and everything Eyewitness Katie Burns

'Literally can't believe this, my heart goes out to everyone on it, a full load came off the track but and on the pavement, like a horror film worse thing ever heard and seen, can't get over this.'

William McLechlan said he had been taking photos of his nephew on the log flume when he heard an 'almighty crash'.

He told ITV News: 'I looked round and I seen the carbon things from the rollercoaster line spattered across the ground really and there's people running about panicking.

'I ran up to see if I could help and helped a couple of people off and helped to move carriages and things up to try and get people who were stuck in them but we could not get them out and then the emergency services and that, they arrived so we had to leave to let them deal with them.'

Ruth Davidson, leader of the Scottish Conservative Party, said: 'Awful news coming from M&Ds. Deeply concerning - our thoughts are with those affected and with emergency responders.'

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon added: 'My thoughts are with everyone involved in this terrible incident at M&D's theme park, especially those injured.'

Victims in the Alton Towers horror crash also paid tribute to those hurt in Scotland on Twitter.

Joe Pugh, 20, whose knees were shattered in The Smiler disaster, said: 'Just heard about the rollercoaster crash at M&Ds, thoughts go out to all involved and those who witnessed the accident! Things like this just shouldn't happen!'

His girlfriend Leah Washington, 19, who had part of her leg amputated after the incident, added: 'My thoughts go out to those involved in the roller coaster accident at M&Ds.'

A Police Scotland statement said: 'We can confirm we are currently working with other emergency services to ascertain the full extent of the situation.' Officers are pictured at the scene in Motherwell, North Lanarkshire

Emergency response: A spokesman for the Scottish Ambulance Service said six ambulance crews and a specialist operation team were on the scene. The park has now been evacuated and closed for the day

The Tsunami ride is described on the theme park's website as 'Scotland's only inverted rollercoaster', adding that it can reach speeds of up to 65mph. Police are pictured at the scene of the incident this afternoon

She posted an image of one of the rollercoaster wheels on the ground.

Witness James Millerick, who was queuing for another rollercoaster at the theme park, said he heard 'shrieks' from customers.

IN NUMBERS: THE TSUNAMI RIDE AGE – Operating at M&Ds since 2004, having been on the travelling fair circuit worldwide previously and at the Millennium Dome SPEED – 38mph G-FORCE – 4 CAPACITY – 900 per hour DURATION – 1 minute 5 seconds TYPE – Inverted (where train runs under track) rollercoaster with corkscrew twists, turns and loops LENGTH – 1,1148ft HEIGHT – 65ft HISTORY – Made by Italian company Pinfari. It was their first inverted coaster Advertisement

He said there was talk that someone had come off one of the rides and rushed over.

'When we got there the rollercoaster had come off the track entirely - straight through the gated fence at the side of the rollercoaster and was upside down on the concrete path at the side,' he told Sky News.

'There were maybe seven or eight individuals, mostly of younger age between maybe 10 and 15 years old that were actually trapped inside the rollercoaster lying on the ground. The harnesses were still on as well so there was absolutely no movement.'

He said he thought the rollercoaster had slipped off the tracks as it came around a corner but did not fall from the highest point.

Schoolboy Ryan Swan, 10, from Glasgow, was queuing for the ride when it came off the tracks.

He said: 'I was with my cousin and I just heard a huge crash of metal and heard people screaming.

'I was really shocked and really worried.

'What people were saying on the news is true. Tsunami did crash into the children's ride below it.

'It was a bit where it swings round on a corner. We got away fairly quickly and started going toward the car, but we saw a man lying on the ground, surrounded by people.

'I couldn't see if he was that injured, as he had his hood up. I'm just happy I hadn't got to the front of the queue yet.'

The Tsunami ride is described on the theme park's website as 'Scotland's only inverted rollercoaster', adding that it can reach speeds of up to around 40mph.

Children under 10 are restricted from riding the Tsunami, and a minimum height restriction of 1.4m applies.

In 2011 thrill-seekers were suspended 60 feet in the air on the Tsunami, pictured, after being stuck for eight hours

Members of the public had to wait in mid-air to be rescued by the emergency services, pictured