Theme park ride collapses UK: what happened in Isle of Wight park - and was anyone injured in Shipwreck crush?

Two people have been left injured after a ride in England’s oldest theme park collapsed causing a crush.

The Shipwrecked ride at the Isle of Wight’s Blackgang Chine theme park collapsed on Monday (8 August) with children and adults on board.

Witnesses described hearing “terrified screams” as the ride suddenly fell to its side, leaving passengers having to scramble off, with some being left stuck.

Two men had to be rushed to a nearby hospital to be treated for their injuries, however, thankfully no one was seriously hurt in the incident.

Here’s everything you need to know about what happened.

What happened at the Isle of Wight theme park?

Blackgang Chine theme park is the oldest amusement park in the UK, having first opened its doors on the Isle of Wight in 1843.

Its shipwrecked ride is a popular attraction amongst families, with many visiting the park during their summer holidays.

Witnesses say that the ride collapsed, causing all of the passengers to be crushed on one side.

Samantha Downham was on the ride at the time of the incident.

She explained: “It started going really slowly and then all of a sudden it just tipped to one side.

“We thought it was part of the ride, and then a lady started screaming because I think her arm was in between the side of the ride and the barrier.

“Then, a load of people started coming over and others started trying to climb out and get down.”

Mark Duncan, was not on the ride, but witnessed the incident and the fearful aftermath.

He said: “The ride was at its peak height when it smashed to the ground on its right side making a really loud noise.

“Everybody on the ride was immediately thrown to their left side and appeared to be really tightly scrunched together.

“There were lots of terrified screams and one girl was completely hysterical even after her feet were on solid ground.

“She was sitting to the far left as you look at the ride, my wife, daughter and grandson were on the ride 20 minutes before and heard loud grinding noises.

“The noises were obvious and could clearly be heard even when you were standing by the ride.”

Blackgang Chine theme park closed after the incident but reopened on 12 August.

Was anyone injured in the theme park crush?

Two people were injured in the crush and had to be taken to hospital.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the Isle of Wight NHS Trust said: “Two people were taken to hospital by ambulance with minor injuries.”

Witness Ellie Westlake described how her two brothers-in-law had been hurt after the attraction collapsed.

She said: “My family, which includes a three-year-old, were on the ride and it began to make an odd sound.

“It then collapsed, which caused them all to go to one side and be squished.”

She added: “My partner ran to grab my nephew and ended up pulling everyone else off the ride.

“After everyone was off, we noticed my brother-in-law, who is 20, hurt his leg and was unable to move it or feel anything in his left leg.

“My other brother-in-law has done something to his shoulder. They both got rushed to St Mary’s Hospital in Newport.

“My partner has also damaged his shoulders and neck from pulling people off the ride.”

What has Blackgang Chine amusement park said?

The amusement park has made a statement on social media and its website addressing the incident and reassuring any concerns the public may have.

Their post on Twitter read: “Here at Blackgang Chine we experienced an incident with our Shipwrecked ride this afternoon. Our team have quickly responded to the incident and all guests were quickly and safely evacuated. Please keep an eye on our website for more info.”

They also posted a statement on their Facebook page, which reassured visitors: “The safe performance of our rides is key to what we do, and we would like to reassure all guests that we have stringent safety control procedures in place that we were able to instantly deploy.”

They added: “We can confirm that no serious injuries were sustained, and an NHS Ambulance attended the scene.”