Woman falls 26ft to her death from rollercoaster ‘after slipping out of seat’

Unclear how woman slipped free from car, investigators say

A woman died after falling 26ft from a moving rollercoaster in Germany, authorities have said.

The deceased, who has not been named, fell from a ride at the Klotti wildlife and leisure park in Klotten, Rhineland-Palatinate, at around 4.30pm on Saturday.

Koblenz public prosecutor's office said it was not exactly clear how the 57-year-old woman, from St Wendel, Saarland, came free from the car.

Officials said she slid in her seat in a curve before falling from the track, which was about 8 metres (26ft) high.

Emergency workers responded but the woman was pronounced dead at the scene.

Investigators are now working to establish cause of death and an autopsy was due to be carried out.

Engineering experts will examine the rollercoaster and the car for possible causes of the incident.

Witnesses will be located and interviewed.

The prosecutor’s office said that their initial investigations suggested there was no suspicion of criminal conduct.

The park was closed following the incident and remained shut indefinitely.

Klotti Park said in a statement: "We would like to take this opportunity to express our deepest sympathy to the family, relatives and friends.

"Our KLOTTI team is still shocked and stunned.

"Since the cause of the accident is still unclear, we cannot yet estimate what operations will be like in the next few days.

"Thank you for your understanding."

Klotti was initially built as a wildlife park in the 1970s. Since then owners have developed the site into a leisure and adventure park for families.