One killed, several injured in Georgia rollercoaster ‘incident’

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Six Flags temporarily closes nine similar coasters after a fatal accident at its Georgia amusement park.

A person has died and several others have been injured in an incident involving a rollercoaster at an amusement park in the state of Georgia in the United States.

The incident happened on Monday at the Six Flags amusement park, about 15 miles (24km) northwest of Atlanta.

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Officials are investigating the death but have yet to confirm its nature or how the others were injured.

Images and videos have been circulating online that appear to show a man who seems to have been ejected from his seat and landed on the ground.

Al Jazeera has not independently verified the footage.

Six Flags has since closed nine rollercoasters at six of its parks “out of an abundance of caution”, a spokesperson said, adding that they are similar to the one involved in the incident.

Police and the company did not name the ride, but local TV footage showed passengers being escorted off the Goliath rollercoaster, which stopped halfway through the ride.

Witnesses also told local station 11Alive that they saw a man land on the roof of a haunted house attraction; those accounts have also not been verified.

Six Flags said it was “deeply saddened by the guest incident” and that it was supporting guests and staff affected.

Lisa Cupid, chairwoman of the Cobb County board of commissioners, said she “cannot imagine the horror the patrons and employees witnessed today”.

The Goliath rollercoaster opened in 2006 and reaches 70mph (113km/h) at a height of 200 feet (61 metres), according to the company’s website.

This marks at least the seventh death at the park, according to the Doan Law Firm, which tracks amusement park accidents. Earlier, one occurred on Goliath in 2006, after a man likely had a heart attack on the ride.

About two weeks ago, Six Flags Magic Mountain in California announced it would retire its X2 rollercoaster after more than 100 people reportedly sustained brain injuries while riding it.

The company said the ride had passed safety tests, but it was closing it regardless because it’s just the “right thing to do”.

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