Disneyland Paris crash hurts five

FIVE people were hurt in an accident at Europe’s No1 tourist attraction, Disneyland Paris. One man has serious head injuries.

The ride in Frontier Land was immediately closed after the accident although the park, at Marne-la-Vallée, stayed open.

Four of the victims were only slightly injured and were treated on-site, however, a 38-year-old man had to be airlifted to hospital in Clichy-sur-Seine with severe head injuries.

It happened on the Big Thunder Mountain ride when a wood and fibreglass section of the structure inside one of the final tunnels crashed down on one of the railway wagons. The car had 25 people on board. The tunnel section imitates an underground earthquake with rocks falling towards the cars.

Disneyland Paris is providing free accommodation for the man’s family until he recovers. Disneyland Paris press office could not give a comment this morning but it is understood an inquiry has been launched into the cause of the accident.

The last major incident at the park was in October 2010 when a 53-year-old cleaner died after being trapped underneath a boat on the It's A Small World ride. The ride had been switched on while being cleaned.

Disneyland Paris was visited by 15 million tourists last year and has seen 215 million visits since it opened in 1992.

Photo: Foil Fencer