Design defect blamed for space ride tragedy in south China

The fatal amusement park accident in China's south, which killed six and injured 10 earlier this year, was due to a design fault, said an official report released Tuesday.

Space Journey, a ride that simulates the conditions of a rocket launch, spun madly out-of-control after a screw bolt between the supporting system of the simulator and the piston rod snapped.

Bad design had made checking and maintaining the screw bolt difficult, which resulted in the bolt's wear and tear and eventual break, according to the report by the administrative bureau of work safety of Yantian District of Shenzhen.

The accident happened on June 29 at the Overseas Chinese Town East (OCT East) tourist resort in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province.

Although the danger was noticed during installation, no effective measures were taken to eliminate the risk, the report said.

The space simulator functioned by elevating and spinning 11 cabins each carrying four passengers. In the accident, one cabin collided with three other cabins as it plummeted to the ground.

The simulator was designed in China and produced by the Jiuhua Amusement Rides Manufacturing Co. Ltd in Beijing, according to a report by the Beijing Youth Daily. It went into trial operation on May 1, 2009 and passed its annual safety inspection this March, the newspaper said.

The OCT East amusement park covers an area of nine square kilometers and is operated by OCT Enterprises Co, a state-owned company involved in real estate and hotel development, tourism, and electronics manufacturing.

Source:Xinhua