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Published on January 13, 2008

At about 4.30pm several children aged 10-12 passed through the last curve of the twisting waterslide only to find themselves falling through a one-foot gap and hitting the ground two metres below.

Initially 13 children were rushed to Nopparat Ratcha-thani Hospital, but parents later reported that 11 more had been hurt. Sutthatip Phromthong, 40, who visited the park in Khan Na Yao district with her husband and two children, told The Nation at the hospital that their five-year-old son Juthipong Phromthong had asked her if he could ride the Super Spiral. She let him go alone.

Since she and her children were regular visitors to the park, she let Juthipong and his elder sister play by themselves and sat not far away to watch them.

While looking at her son gliding down the giant amusement ride, she saw several children fall through the opening on the curve, hitting rocks or plants. Her son followed them. He cried and complained of pain in his arm and leg.

The boy saw the riders ahead of him drop through the opening and tried to grab onto the side walls, but they were too smooth. The mother said park executives approached her at the hospital promising to take care of medical expenses.

"I just want my son safe. I'm glad that he's just slightly hurt. We're waiting for the doctor to let him go home," she said.

The park's managing director said management would take responsibility for medical costs and urged parents not to worry, because the children were all right.

The Super Spiral ride will be closed for repairs, and engineers will inspect it for defects. Their findings will be reported to the media later.

Many parents waited outside the hospital's emergency unit, some mothers in tears.

Noppakan Leungamorn-phan, an executive of Amorn-phan Nakhon-Suan Siam Co, said the low-speed waterslide was 15 years old and had been well maintained, unlike the Indiana Log water ride, which caused one death and five injuries last October when its pump failed.

The cause of the accident will be investigated, she said, adding that the park procured good-quality rides from world-class suppliers but malfunctions could happen for many reasons.

The Nation