Teenager dies after 400ft fall from world’s tallest drop ride in Orlando
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A teenage boy has died after falling from the world’s tallest drop ride which stands at more than 400 feet.
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Police received reports of an emergency at ICON Park in Orlando, Florida, just after 11pm local time on Thursday (24 March).
Witnesses said that a 14-year-old fell to his death from the Free Fall attraction, which is 430 feet high and the tallest in the world, according to the ICON Park website.
Police, firefighters and paramedics arrived at the popular theme park on International Drive on Thursday evening after a 911 caller reported the incident.
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Witnesses at the scene told officers that someone had fallen from the ride and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office later confirmed that a boy, 14, was taken to hospital where he died from his injuries, Fox35 reports.
The ride, which opened in Orlando on 28 December last year, can accommodate 30 people when it is loaded to capacity and thrillseekers are rotated around a central tower as they are lifted into the air.
When the carrier reaches the top, it tilts forward so that riders sit at a 30 degree angle towards the ground, before free falling nearly 400 feet at speeds of approximately 75mph.
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The Orlando Free Fall sits adjacent to the Orlando Slingshot, which is the tallest slingshot ride in the world.
Both attractions are owned and operated by the Slingshot Group of Companies, according to the ICON Park website.
The victim has not yet been identified and the investigation is in its very early stages, the Sheriff’s Office said.
ICON Park has not yet commented on the tragedy.