One person has died and several others have been injured after a serious incident on a flying train at the Six Flags Over Georgia amusement park in the US state of Georgia, about 24 kilometers from Atlanta.
According to the BBC, Cobb County police have launched an investigation into the incident, while authorities have not yet clarified the causes of death or how the other people were injured.
Footage from US television helicopters shows the flying train, called Goliath, stopped in the middle of its route as park workers helped passengers off. Police have not officially confirmed which attraction was involved in the incident.
Witnesses have described dramatic scenes, claiming a man was thrown from his seat while the train was moving.
A witness quoted by local television station 11 Alive said the man had exited the security system, collided with the train structure and several passengers, before falling onto the roof of another attraction at the park, known as the haunted house.
According to the same witness, the incident may also have been recorded by automatic cameras that photograph passengers during the journey.
A couple on the train told 11 Alive that they saw the man fall and then be hit by the train. They said that employees had checked the safety systems before departure.
"We were having a great time, until suddenly we started screaming: Oh my God, what's happening?" the woman said.
Another witness, CiCi Nelson, told CNN she was waiting in line to board the Goliath when the train pulled back into the station. She saw an empty seat, the safety mechanism unfastened, and a girl covered in blood.
According to her, panic had erupted among the people, while a man was shouting that someone had fallen off the train.
Brittany Landry, interviewed by Fox News, also stated that she believed she saw the moment the man was thrown from the train. She said she burst into tears, as she had been on the same attraction herself a short time earlier.
The BBC notes that the evidence of the man falling from the train has not been independently verified. Authorities have not yet confirmed the exact circumstances of the incident or the identity of the victim.
Following the event, Six Flags said it was deeply shocked and announced the temporary suspension of operations at nine attractions at its parks in the United States and Canada as a precautionary measure.
The company said its employees and local emergency services had responded immediately and that it was cooperating fully with investigators.
The Goliath flying train, opened in 2006, is one of the park's most popular attractions. It reaches a height of about 60 meters, includes a 52-meter drop and a 540-degree spiral. The top speed reaches 112 kilometers per hour.
In its attraction intensity rating, Six Flags rates Goliath at four out of five possible levels.
The Georgia incident comes just weeks after another of the company's parks, in Southern California, announced the closure of its X2 flying train, following claims by more than 100 people that they had suffered brain damage while riding it.
Six Flags stated that X2 had passed a series of safety tests, but that the company had decided to permanently remove it from operation.
Six Flags is the largest amusement park operator in North America, with 20 amusement parks, 14 water parks and nine resort complexes in the US, Canada and Mexico.
