Girl, 14, killed in Cobra rollercoaster ride accident in Denmark

A 14-year-old girl from Copenhagen has died in a "tragic accident" on a rollercoaster in Denmark's second largest city, Aarhus, police say.

The accident in the Tivoli Friheden theme park happened when part of the Cobra ride's rear carriage broke loose, the park's director told local media.

The back of the ride "broke off and was hanging under the rest of the train", Henrik Ragborg Olsen told TV2.

The police are investigating the cause of the accident.

A parent visiting the park with their three children told Danish newspaper Arhus Stiftstidende there was a loud bang in the park when the incident happened.

When they got to the ride, they saw parts of the carriages had separated from the rest of the ride and bystanders were crying nearby.

A 13-year-old boy also injured his hand in the incident, police said.

The theme park has been emptied and closed for the rest of the day, police added.

The 400m-long rollercoaster, called Cobra, reaches speeds of up to 70 km/h (43mph), according to the park's website.

Thursday's accident is not the first to happen on the ride. In 2008 - shortly after it first opened - a carriage broke off the roller coaster, injuring four people.