Swedish officials say weak replacement parts caused roller coaster accident that killed 1, injured 9

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Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

Swedish accident investigators on Friday said the country's oldest amusement park did not properly test new parts for a roller coaster that derailed last year and sent some passengers plunging to the ground, killing one and injuring nine others, one seriously.

The June 25 accident at the Grona Lund park in Stockholm “was caused by deficiencies in the ordering, manufacturing and testing of new support arms for the Jetline trains," the Swedish Accident Investigation Authority said. It said the support arms were not sufficiently strong.

The roller coaster was carrying 11 passengers at the time of the accident. The front of the train jumped off the tracks, leaving one car tilted toward the ground. A woman in her 30s was thrown out of the ride and died. Two others also fell from the train, one of whom was seriously injured and the other received minor injuries. Seven other passengers also had minor injuries.

Police have also launched a separate criminal investigation into the accident. Christer B. Jarlås, a prosecutor for the National Unit for Environmental and Work Environment, said police have carried out extensive interrogations, technical examinations of the train carriages and material analyses. He said there is currently no timetable for when a decision will be made on whether to charge anyone.

The 800-meter (2,600-foot) -long roller coaster opened in 1988 and was renovated in 2000, according to Grona Lund. It has a maximum height of 30 meters (98 feet) and a top speed of 90 kilometers (56 miles) per hour.

Grona Lund opened in 1883.