Three people fight for life after Raging River accident
Three people are fighting for their lives after an accident on an amusement park ride on Saturday night (local time).
Six people were on the Raging River ride at Adventureland in the US state of Iowa when their raft overturned, local publication KCCI reported.
Four people on the raft have been transported to hospital, three of which are in critical condition.
According to the local news station, Adventureland released a statement on its Facebook page following the incident, though it appears it has since been deleted.
The statement confirmed the accident happened at 7.35pm and Altoona Fire and Police responded.
The statement also said the ride was last inspected in February this year and found to be in"sound working order", though it will remain closed for now for a "thorough inspection", KCCI reported.
"Our thoughts are with the affected families at this time," the statement said.
Lance Routson from the Altoona Fire Department told the publication the location of the ride in the park meant personnel responding to the incident had to travel to the ride on foot.
Raging River, which was unveiled in 1983, had been closed since last year and only just reopened.
In 2016, a 68-year-old man who was working at the theme park during the summer died after an incident on the same ride, according to the Des Moines Register.
Steve Booher was helping customers on to the Raging River when he fell on to the conveyer belt and suffered a major brain injury, dying four days later in hospital.
In 2016, four people died on the Thunder River Rapids ride at Dreamworld on the Gold Coast when their raft flipped.
An inquest into the incident unveiled a "litany of problems" with the attraction, with some experts declaring the tragedy was an accident waiting to happen.
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