Family of girl who died in amusement park accident to get $179,000

A harrowing video of a girl being flung off her seat while on an amusement park ride gripped the Internet over the weekend.

The Chinese teen named Gan Tian was thrown into the air by the momentum of the rotating A Journey In Space ride, before she smashed into metal railings.

Investigations found that her seatbelt was broken and that the passenger safety bar was not secured tightly.

Zhaohua Park in Chongqing, China, has since shuttered operations after authorities ordered personnel to inspect all rides, Sina reported.

A total of18 other amusement parks with the same ride have also been ordered to suspend operations. They were advised to contact manufacturer Chengdu Xinduxinan Amusement Ride Ltd, for safety checks.

Chinese media reported that Gan's family had accepted the park's compensation of 870,000 yuan (S$178,932).

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Poor safety regulations in amusement parks have come under scrutiny in recent years.

Although only visitors above the age of 12 were allowed on the ride, Gan Tian and her 9-year-old cousin were somehow able to get tickets.

China Global Television Network (CGTN) also reported that park officials were found to be operating the amusement rides in an improper manner.

Accidents in amusement parks in China are not new.

According to Sina, three people were injured in 2013 after being thrown from a ride in the Qingling Happy World amusement park in Xi'an. Another 19 people were injured after a ride in a temple fun fair broke off its moorings in 2015.

Most recently, four visitors were killed on the Thunder River Rapids attraction at Goldcoast's Dreamworld in October last year.

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debwong@sph.com.sg