Gröna Lund: Rollercoaster accident in Sweden leaves one dead

A rollercoaster accident at an amusement park in Sweden has killed one person and injured at least nine.

The ride at the Gröna Lund park in Stockholm came partly off the rails, witnesses said. The Jetline rollercoaster reaches a height of 30m (90ft) and a speed of 90km/h (55mph).

The park was evacuated after the accident and police and emergency services were called to the scene.

The park's chief executive, Jan Eriksson, declared a "day of mourning".

Three of the nine injured people are understood to be severely wounded and are receiving treatment at a nearby hospital.

The accident took place just after 11:30 Swedish local time (9:30 GMT).

Fourteen people were on the ride when the front part of the rollercoaster separated from the vehicle, then stopped in the middle of the track and sent people crashing to the ground.

Jenny Lagerstedt, a journalist visiting the park with her family, told Swedish broadcaster SVT she was nearby, heard a metallic noise and saw the track shaking.

"My husband saw a rollercoaster car with people in it falling to the ground," she said, adding that her children were scared.

"Something like this should not happen at Gröna Lund, and yet it happened," Mr Eriksson said.

He added that the 140-year-old park would be closed for a week for police to carry out an investigation.

Those who have already bought tickets for that period will have their money refunded.

"It is important for us to do everything we can to get to the bottom of this," Annika Troselius, a spokeswoman for Gröna Lund, told a news conference.

Parisa Liljestrand, Sweden's culture minister, said news of the accident was incomprehensible and expressed her condolences.