6-year-old girl dies on amusement park ride in Colorado
By Amanda Jackson, Carma Hassan and Rachel Webb, CNN
A 6-year-old girl was fatally injured while riding an amusement park ride in Glenwood Springs, Colorado, according to the Garfield County Coroner’s Office.
The child, from Colorado Springs, was vacationing with her family and they visited Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park on Sunday, according to a statement from the coroner’s office obtained by CNN affiliate KMGH.
The girl was riding on the park’s Haunted Mine Drop, according to the coroner. The Haunted Mine Drop is billed as the world’s first drop ride to go underground, according to the park website.
“Perched on top of Iron Mountain, the new attraction drops riders 110 feet down inside the mountain as they listen to ghostly mining tales from days gone by,” reads a press release from 2017, when the attraction opened.
The nature of the unidentified victim’s injuries was not immediately available and an autopsy is scheduled for this week, the coroner’s office said Monday.
The statement said the incident is being investigated by the sheriff’s and coroner’s offices. It did not provide any details on what might have happened.
“Immediately following the incident, Glenwood Caverns employees initiated first aid until paramedics with the Glenwood Springs Fire Department arrived and determined the child had died,” says the coroner’s office statement.
Some of the rides have age and height requirements, according to the park’s website. The Haunted Mine Drop has a height minimum of 46 inches.
“We are deeply saddened and ask that you please keep the family of the deceased in your thoughts and prayers,” the amusement park said in a statement posted to its website.
Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park said it would be closed until Wednesday following the fatality.
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CNN’s Leslie Perrot contributed to this report.