Credit: HollenblitzOn the first evening of Oktoberfest, an accident with one of its roller coasters resulted in eight people being injured, with two of them sent to the hospital.
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The Oktoberfest celebration is easily the world’s most celebrated and recognized beer festival. Taking place at the Theresienwiese in Munich, Germany, Oktoberfest was established in 1810 as a part of the celebration of the Bavarian crown prince’s wedding. Soon, it became a public festival, bringing in guests worldwide.
The annual event is a beautiful celebration of German heritage and Bavarian culture, with local vendors serving great food, cold beer, and plenty of Oompah music. Another popular part of the festival is the various carnival rides. And one of the most popular is the indoor roller coaster Höllenblitz.
Höllenblitz is the Largest Transportable Indoor Roller Coaster in the World
Oktoberfest has served as the home for Höllenblitz since 2007. Considered to be the world’s largest transportable indoor roller coaster, Höllenblitz translates to “Hell Flash” or “Hell’s Lightning” in English. The ride is themed around mining, with guests boarding a mine cart that travels in the dark at speeds up to 79 kilometers per hour.
While it is currently themed around mining, the attraction has actually gone through multiple designs through the years. Initially built in 1992, the coaster was originally built for the Renoldi family. It featured a giant gorilla and was called “Magic Mountain.” In 1998, the theming was changed to “Star World,” loosely based on the Star Wars franchise.
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The ride has also received numerous updates, including a laser show inside the ride as well as free-spinning cars. Unfortunately, this beloved traveling attraction served as a source of pain when an accident reportedly occurred on the first night of the 188th Oktoberfest.
Oktoberfest Accident Injures Eight People
According to media and local police, an accident occurred on the first evening of Oktoberfest. It has been reported that it took place on the Höllenblitz roller coaster when two cars collided at approximately 10:15 p.m. on Saturday, September 16.
Medics treated eight people on site. Two of them were eventually sent to the hospital. The police are still investigating the cause of the accident. In the meantime, the ride seems to have been shut down since it doesn’t appear in the attractions section on the official Oktoberfest website.
While multiple outlets have reported that the accident occurred on the Höllenblitz roller coaster, one person commented on a video from The Sun that it was “two cars in the haunted house bumped into each other.” No further details have been released from the officials running Oktoberfest.
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This unfortunate incident is the latest in multiple theme park accidents reported across Europe. Two accidents occurred in June: one in the United Kingdom when an employee was struck by a roller coaster car, and the second when a train derailed at Gröna Lund in Sweden. The latter incident resulted in a fatality. Meanwhile, another fatal accident happened in August when a French attraction went off-path, sending its occupants flying into a steel pylon.
Hopefully, these tragic events will be taken seriously, and amusement park safety will become a more prioritized concern.
Do you think more should be done to prevent theme park accidents around the world? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!