33 injured in roller coaster crash in Spain

EMERGENCY services say that 33 people have been injured when two cars collided on the “Tren de la Mina” roller coaster at Madrid’s Parque de Atracciones, one of Spain’s oldest theme parks.

Twenty-seven people needed hospital treatment for minor  injuries including neck, back and stomach pains.

One train carriage, which had just completed the loop, failed to stop and hit the back of another carriage which was waiting to leave.

Riders on the roller coaster can wear virtual reality goggles during the ride to heighten their experience, so riders in the approaching carriage wouldn’t have seen the static car ahead of them.

The rollercoaster reaches a height of 17.5 metres and travels at a maximum speed of 35mph, according to the theme park’s website.

A spokeswoman for the Parque de Attraciones said that technicians are investigating what went wrong on the ride.