ALTON TOWERS, England, June 3 (UPI) -- A roller coaster crash at a theme park in Staffordshire, England, on Tuesday left four people seriously injured.
Sixteen people were riding "The Smiler" roller coaster at Alton Towers theme park when their carriage collided with the empty one in front of it.
Emergency services took several hours to rescue the screaming victims, who were suspended 26 feet off the ground.
"There was this ear-splitting crunch," witness Jack Carvey told The Mirror. "I'll never forget that sound. Some of riders were moving, others were still. I'll never forget that sound."
"Blood everywhere," tweeted another witness. "It was really shocking."
Two women, aged 19 and 17, and two men, aged 27 and 18, were eventually rescued and hospitalized with "significant lower-limb injuries," officials told The Guardian.
Nick Varney, chief executive of Merlin Entertainments, the company that operates Alton Towers, described the incident as "devastating."
"I would like to express my sincerest regret and apology to everyone who suffered injury and distress today and to their families," Varney said.
Varney said the park would remain closed pending an investigation.
"The safety of our visitors is our primary concern," he said.
The Smiler, which opened at Alton Towers in May 2013, is described on its website as the world's first 14-loop roller coaster.
In July 2013, 48 people were rescued from the ride when visitors saw a metal rod fall from the track.
