Australia shuts theme park after accident

Two men and two women died in October after getting trapped under an upturned raft on the Thunder River Rapids ride at Dreamworld, near the Gold Coast tourist district in Australia’s northeastern state of Queensland. 

Ardent Chief Executive Deborah Thomas said the ride would be decommissioned out of respect for the memories of the victims and their families. “The closure of the ride is the only respectful and  appropriate course of action,” she said in a statement. 

Engineering firm Pitt & Sherry has begun an external review of all Dreamworld and Whitewater World rides and operating systems, separate from an internal review of every ride in the park, which has been closed since the tragedy, Thomas said.