A malfunctioning water ride at Dreamworld on Queensland's Gold Coast took the lives of four people, including two siblings.
It is the latest fatal theme park incident and has once again turned the public's attention to whether amusement parks employ sufficient safety measures on all rides.
As recently as August this year, a young boy was killed falling from a US waterslide, and the Dreamworld incident adds to a tragic list of fatal events in Australia.
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Dreamworld: Four dead in 'horrific' theme park accident
Luna Park, Australia
Australia's worst amusement park tragedy happened on June 9, 1979 when the Ghost Train at Sydney's Luna Park caught fire, killing six children and one adult.
The ride, constructed in 1931, was completely destroyed in the blaze and an subsequent inquest could not determine how the blaze started.
The incident forced the park to close for three years, and a second investigation was held in 1987 without further findings.
A memorial garden was installed at the park in 1995 to remember the victims.
File image of Luna Park, at Milsons Point in Sydney (AAP) Source: AAP
Schlitterbahn Waterpark, US
In August 2016, youngster Caleb Schwabl while riding the the Verruckt - an attraction billed as the tallest waterslide in the world.
The Washington Post reported that some witnesses saw the boy's raft hit netting, while other witnesses said the harnesses were not working properly on the day of the incident.
The Verruckt had multi-person rafts that allowed for a 51 metre drop at speeds of up to 110km/h, followed by a surge up a hump and a sharp descent to a finishing pool.
Riders, who must be at least 54 inches tall (137cm), were harnessed in with two nylon car seatbelt-like straps.
File image of Caleb Thomas Schwab (AAP) Source: AAP
Alton Towers, UK
Two teenage girlshad to have legs amputated after the Smiler roller coaster at Alton Towers crashed in gale force winds on June 2, 2015.
A court hearing following the incident was told “human errors” were responsible for the crash, which left five people injured.
The judge was told the ride was not fitted with a wind speed recorder and that staff were not properly trained.
A full carriage collided with a test carriage that had been sent along the ride earlier and stopped in a valley of the track earlier in the day.
It then took 17 minutes for emergency services to be called.
Six Flags, US
Eight teenagers were killed on May 11, 1984 when a blaze broke out on the Haunted Castle ride at Six Flags Great Adventure Park in New Jersey.
Most of the people on the ride escaped when the fire started, but the eight teenage victims became trapped inside.
It was alleged at the time the park and its parent company had inadequate fire precautions and had recklessly caused the fatalities.
During court proceedings following the incident, it was argued the park operator repeatedly ignored warnings to install fire sprinklers, while the park said an arsonist had caused the fire.
The park operator was eventually found not guilty of causing the teenagers' deaths.
Eco-Adventure Valley, China
One of Asia's worst fatal funpark incidents occurred on June 29, 2010 upon the Eco-Adventure Journey at a Shenzhen fan park.
The ride, which was was supposed to simulate a rocket launch, malfunctioned when one of the cars suddenly came loose and lost all power.
It plunged out of the sky with 44 people inside, six of whom died.
Battersea Park Fun Fair, England
In England's worst amusement park disaster, five children were killed when a wooden Big Dipper roller coaster malfunctioned.
An investigation into the May 30, 1972 disaster found the rope that hoisted the carts to the top of the launch hill had snapped, causing the anti-rollback mechanism to fail.
The chain of cars then rotated backward into the ride's boarding zone, hitting dozens of people as it fell.
The park was closed for two years following the incident.
The Big Dipper ride from a 1996 documentary about the disaster (AAP) Source: YouTube
Further fatal amusement park incidents
- June 2016: Scotland - 10 people, including eight children, injured in an amusement park when a roller coaster derails and plummets from the track.
- June 2015: England - Two carts from a roller coaster in a Sheffield amusement park collide, leaving 16 injured.
- September 12, 2014: Eight-year-old Adelene Leong dies after being thrown from a high-speed ride at the Royal Adelaide Show.
- August 2014: Germany - 11-year-old girl killed when she is run over by the Spinning Barrels ride in a western German amusement park.
- May 18, 2013: Five-year-old boy seriously injured after being flung from the Frizbee ride at a school fete in Highfields, Queensland.
- October 2010: Austria - Man working on a ramp of the flying roller coaster Volare falls to his death after he's hit by a cart and pushed from the track, while one passenger is severely injured.
- September 2009: Germany - 11-year-old girl dies after falling out of a water ride at a local festival in Bavaria.
- March 11, 2001: Eight-year-old girl dies and 11 people injured when an inflatable carriage breaks free from a ride at a carnival in Kapunda, South Australia.
- September 2, 2000: Thirty-seven people hurt when the Spin Dragon ride collapses and drops a 4.3 tonne gondola onto queuing riders at the Royal Adelaide Show.
- Februrary 22, 1997: 11-year-old girl dies and two boys injured when a carriage on the Octopus ride breaks free and falls to the ground at the Rylstone Show near Mudgee, NSW.
- October 24, 1968: High-wire stuntman Adrian Labans, 44, falls to his death during a high wire act at the Royal Hobart Show.
