Families were enjoying a sunny day out at a popular Australian theme park when disaster struck, and four parents were killed after a ride malfunction. The horrific scene of children screaming as four adults were crushed to death on a river raft ride was a jarring contrast to the fun day out holidaymakers had been expecting at Dreamworld, a huge tourist attraction in Queensland, during their visit on October 25, 2016. Kate Goodchild, Luke Dorsett, Roozbeh Araghi and Cindy Low were on the Thunder River Rapids ride with two children when their raft flipped on its side before crashing into another vessel that had become stuck on a conveyor belt, The Mirror reported.

While the two children managed to climb to safety, the four adults fell onto the belt, with two of them crushed to death and the other two drowning in the water beneath. According to Queensland Court records, the children were aged 10 and 12 when they escaped to safety on nearby platforms to raise the alarm with park authorities. 

It later emerged that one of the ride's two water pumps had stopped working, causing its water level to suddenly drop. The empty raft was stranded and then became stuck on support rails near its conveyor belt as a result.

That was when the six-person raft overturned and was dragged upright, causing its passengers to either fall out or become stuck between it and the conveyor mechanism.

Emergency services worked for hours to recover the four disfigured bodies trapped beneath the ride.

Workplace Health and Safety prosecutor Aaron Guilfoyle explained that the malfunctioning conveyor belt had ripped pieces of fibreglass from the raft, causing two of the adults to fall, during an inquest in Queensland in February 2020.

He also said the ride had been poorly maintained by staff, with inadequate shut-down procedures in place.

Ardent Leisure, the parent company behind Dreamworld, accepted responsibility for the failings and was fined £2 million ($3.6 million).

Magistrate Pamela Dowse said the measures that should have been taken to ensure safety on the Thunder River Rapids attraction were "not that complex or burdensome" and "only mildly inconvenient and inexpensive".

She said the fine handed to Ardent Leisure was reflective of the severity of its failed duty of care while operating "the most iconic amusement park in the country, which targeted and attracted families".

The company said it would work hard to improve safety standards.