The woman fell from the roller coaster while the ride was “in operation”, park officials have confirmed. The incident took place at around 1.45pm today, at the Saint-Paul theme park near Beauvais in the Oise, France. The woman, who has not yet been named, fell from the Formula 1 ride at the park.
Medics pronounced the woman dead at the scene.
Park officials closed the ride after the tragedy, but the rest of the park was kept open.
Staff attended to visitors who witnessed the woman fall to her death.
Management at the park said they were helping the police and firefighters with an investigation.
The death was confirmed by Gilles Campion, park manager of Parc Saint-Paul in a press release.
The statement read: “The firefighters intervened and tried unsuccessfully to resuscitate the victim. No other person was injured.”
It added: “The park area has been completely cut off for visitors.
“The teams have taken care of the visitors and families affected.
“All the teams join the family to express their deepest sadness following this event.”
Amiens police are in charge of the investigation.
A spokesman for the force said: “For the moment it is impossible to determine the cause of this accident.”
The French theme park usually attracts nearly 380,000 visitors per year.
More to follow…