JEDDAH, 14 February 2008 — A day of fun at a Jeddah theme park turned into a bloody scene when a three-year-old boy died after a train ran over him. The accident occurred at the Atallah Park Tuesday night between 9 and 10 p.m., witnesses said.
“As my family and I entered the theme park, we went to buy tickets. The tickets counter was closed and they told me that there was an accident and a boy was seriously injured. I didn’t know he actually died,” said Haya Al-Ghamdi, a middle-aged mother of three.
The boy was riding the train at Atallah Park on Jeddah’s Corniche when his seat belt came loose. He fell out and was run over by another train. Civil Defense rescuers took the boy to a nearby hospital where he died.
The reason for the accident is unclear. A Civil Defense source, who didn’t want to be named, said police are investigating the incident.
He said amusement parks do not adequately screen kids to ensure they are old enough to get on the rides safely. “Parents have to be more cautious,” he said.
Atallah Park was closed indefinitely after the accident. Safety inspectors were at the park yesterday checking the rides. The results of the inspection weren’t available yesterday.
The Jeddah Police Department did not answer Arab News requests for comment.
The Civil Defense has a special department that checks on safety measurements at amusement centers. Inspectors follow a schedule of weekly and monthly maintenance.
Arab News covered an accident last summer at Al-Shallal Theme Park, also located on Jeddah’s Corniche. Two Civil Defense teams and an ambulance were called to that theme park to save 24 women and children who were stuck in the air in a ride that is called “The Fan”.
Three years ago 10 people were injured in an accident at an amusement park in the Eastern Province.
