Two children aged 10 and 13 have survived the tragic Thunder River Rapids ride malfunction that killed four adults at Australia's Dreamworld theme park. On Twitter, Queensland police said it was "Almost a miracle that they escaped unharmed."
Father of victims Luke Dorsett and Kate Goodchild, Shayne Goodchild, read out a statement from his family to press gathered in Canberra Friday.
SEE ALSO:Four die in theme park horror accident at Dreamworld, AustraliaFronting the media with Kate's husband, Goodchild said Luke's partner also killed in the accident, Roozi Araghi, was "like a son to me" and expressed sympathy to the family of fourth victim, Sydney woman Cindy Low.
Located on Queensland's Gold Coast, the popular theme park remains closed as authorities investigate the incident aboard the decades-old ride.
The victims ranged in age from 32 to 42 and died at the scene after a raft flipped and they became trapped by machinery.
Police said the event was highly traumatic for the two children involved and they were now being provided with extensive support.
Roozi Araghi's employer, the Australian Bureau of Statistics, released a statement Wednesday saying his loss was "deeply felt."
"The ABS is devastated by the tragic loss of Roozi Araghi, one of our dedicated, professional hardworking team members, who was very popular and well-regarded," the ABS told Mashable. "His loss is deeply felt, and our thoughts and wishes are with his family and friends.
"He had the rare ability to communicate complex and technical matters in a clear and easy to understand manner, while also bringing a lot of joy and fun to the workplace."
Tweet may have been deleted
The mother of deceased siblings Goodchild and Dorsett, has also spoken about her loss to the The Courier-Mail.
"I have three children and have lost two of them today -- my whole family has been wiped out," she said.
"We are just devastated, absolutely devastated ... They were kind, loving souls that would honestly do anything for anyone."
Dorsett told the outlet she had two granddaughters -- an eight-month-old and a 12-year-old. "It truly breaks my heart to know that my eight-month-old is never going to get to know her mum."
The family had been visiting Queensland from Canberra when they decided to visit the theme park.
Credit: Dreamworld facebookThe four victims were onboard the Thunder River Rapids ride with the two children, marketed as a family ride with a minimum age limit of two, provides six seats on a raft for visitors to travel through white water.
Police confirmed the incident was captured on CCTV footage and witnesses are being interviewed.
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk told Channel 7 the event was an "awful tragedy."
"Our priority right now is for the two young children," she said. "We are making sure they get the necessary support they need."
Palaszczuk confirmed an extensive investigation was ongoing. "We need to ensure this never, ever happens again," she said.
"Hundreds of thousands of families have been on this ride. Young children go on this ride. We need to get to the bottom of what happened, what went wrong, and ensure that that a tragedy like this simply never happens again."
UPDATE: Oct. 28, 2016, 4:07 p.m. AEDT Statement from the family added.
(责任编辑:綜合)
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