Two days ago, on February 11th, disaster struck at the PortAventura amusement park located in Salou, Tarragona. While parkgoers were riding the Tomahawk, a popular roller coaster from the park, a strong gust of wind caused a tree to fall onto the tracks and injure 14 people on the ride. 

During the operation of the ride, the tree fell onto the tracks with the branches hitting passengers on the ride. Two children were injured in the incident and some of the passengers received serious, possibly life-threatening injuries. 

PortAventura and its staff have received much backlash from the friends and families of the victims. Their team put out a statement clarifying that, 

“This is an incident that has nothing to do with the operation and maintenance of our attractions, which adhere to the highest safety standards and undergo rigorous daily inspections.”

Two of the injured riders suffered critical injuries and are currently being held at Bellvitge Hospital while three other less seriously injured riders were admitted to Santa Tecla Hospital and Reus Hospital. 8 ambulances and helicopters arrived at the scene of the accident.

Earlier that morning, a severe weather alert was activated for strong winds that would most likely pass through the area of Salou. PortAventura decided to shut down most of the rides in the park due to the weather conditions, but they failed to see the Tomahawk as a serious threat to the safety of the riders.