LONDON -- At least four people have been seriously injured after a roller coaster carriage on The Smiler ride in Alton Towers theme park crashed into a stationary carriage.
12 other people were also injured aboard the ride in Staffordshire, in northern England, and are being treated, according to emergency services.
Crews that have been sent to #AltonTowers incident are from Cheadle, Leek, Ipstones, Longton, Stafford and Sandyford, 32 firefighters in all— Staffordshire Fire (@StaffsFire) June 2, 2015
West Midlands Ambulance service said in a statement they were the first on the scene after an emergency call was received from the theme park shortly after 2 p.m. about the incident.
Alton Towers confirmed that an incident had taken place on a "low section of the track" between two carriages of the ride.
Here's #AltonTowers' statement on #TheSmiler crash... pic.twitter.com/f4SBfEmFQ9— Rob Watts (@Rob_Watts) June 2, 2015
Eyewitnesses captured photos from the theme park after the incident occurred:
Been a fan of #altontowers for 15 years but I am outraged about what's just happened. Two cars crashing on #smiler pic.twitter.com/UYhOdhSZv6— Kirsty Wild (@kirstythewild) June 2, 2015
@richardhp yes that's fine this picture is better pic.twitter.com/YUv4DShwmC— Benj (@_ben_jamming) June 2, 2015
Weird atmosphere at @altontowers after smiler crashing, hope the injured will be okay. #Awful #AltonTowers #Smiler pic.twitter.com/cn0U5EqFmi— Hannah (@hannahjcottrell) June 2, 2015
Air ambulance being guarded by Alton Towers staff. pic.twitter.com/I9XFbaf39e— Leigh Curtis (@LeighCurtis_NP) June 2, 2015
The theme park had only tweeted about The Smiler's "birthday" on Sunday, saying that the ride had been open for two years.
Happy Birthday to The Smiler - Two today! RT if you can't wait for the next time you #GetCorrected— Alton Towers Resort (@altontowers) May 31, 2015
The Smiler is described as the "world's first 14 looping rollercoaster" on Alton Towers' website, which says that it's not for the faint hearted.
"The Smiler also features a series of twisted psychological effects including optical illusions and blinding lights designed to mess with your mind and body," the website says about the ride, which cost £18 million to construct.