Dreamworld Australia to permanently close & demolish Thunder River Rapids ride

Ardent Leisure, the parent company of Dreamworld Australia, says it would not only close permanently the Thunder River Rapid ride but destroy it completely. The permanent decommission is out of respect for the four people who died on Oct 25 when their raft crashed into another raft and flipped over.

The closure of the ride is the only respectful and appropriate course of action the theme park could make out of respect for the memories of Cindy Low, Roozbeh Araghi, Kate Goodchild and Luke Dorsett and their families, the Ardent statement says. The rest of the theme park remain close.

Dreamworld Australia would only reopen until WorkPlace Health and Safety Queensland completes an ongoing audit. Pitt & Sherry, the leading expert in mechanical engineering in Australia, is also holding an external audit of the park’s rides, 9News reports.

Low and Araghi were buried last week, while siblings Goodchild and Dorsett were buried on Monday. Deborah Thomas, CEO of Ardent Leisure, said the company invited the families of the victims to help create a fitting and permanent memorial to the four.

Thomas adds that Pitt & Sherry’s review would undergo a further peer review by an industry-leading global theme park safety specialist. Dreamworld is also conducting its internal review which covers all operating policies and procedures, Brisbanetimes reports.

She says no rides at Dreamworld would operate again until the state safety regulator has completed its audit and the rides pass the multi-level internal and external review process. However, Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate wants the families of the four victims to have a say in the reopening of the theme park.