Praise for the heroes who went to helP

“I would ask that anyone who witnessed the incident or have video footage or photographs to get in touch with the enquiry team on 101.”

HSE principal inspector Barry Baker said:“Our thoughts are with the children and adults who have been injured in this incident and I must give praise to the emergency services and members of the public who came to their aid so quickly yesterday.

“We have brought HSE specialists in mechanical engineering to the site this morning, to begin the process of finding out what caused the gondolas to come off the rails.”

Douglas Taylor, director of M&D’s, said: “Our thoughts are with the people who have been injured and their families. We hope everyone makes a full recovery. We’re co-operating fully with the investigation. It would be inappropriate to speculate on the cause of the accident until the investigation is complete.

“Each and every ride within the theme park is safety checked on a daily basis and undergoes a thorough independent inspection every 12 months. Tsunami had its inspection in early June.

“My brother Matthew and I have been in business together for 50 years and this is the first incident of this type that we’ve ever been involved in.

“I would like to pay tribute to everyone who was on the scene, from our own staff to members of the public and, of course, the emergency services for their incredible response.”