Six children were shocked by electricity on an amusement park ride in Connecticut Tuesday, authorities said, marking the latest in a string of serious incidents at summer attractions.
Police responded to a report of a small child who may have been struck by electricity on one of the rides at Ocean Beach Park in New London just before 2 p.m. When they arrived, police said, they found six victims who had suffered an electric shock.
“Emergency services transported several children to the local hospital, received some type of electrical shock. The most serious injured had some small burns on the palms of his hands from when he touched the metal railing when he was getting off the ride,” New London Deputy Police Chief Peter Reichard told ABC New Haven affiliate WTNH-TV.
The extent of their injuries is unclear.
The ride remains closed while an investigation is ongoing. Officials have yet to determine what caused the electrical surge, police said.
“You’ll see the lights going on and off at different rides behind us because they’re trying to isolate where the electric surge is coming from,” Reichard WTNH at the scene.
Ocean Beach Park's management issued the following statement:
“The safety of our guests is always our number one priority. The Connecticut State Police had been here all afternoon along with local police and the Fire Marshal’s office. We will continue to work closely to find out the answer.”
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In other cases this summer, a 3-year-old boy was airlifted to a hospital last week after he was wounded while riding a wooden roller coaster in Pennsylvania. In Tennessee, three girls were injured after falling 35 to 45 feet to the ground when their Ferris wheel cabin tipped over on Aug. 8. And in Kansas, 10-year-old Caleb Schwab was killed on a waterslide Aug. 7.
ABC News’ Erin Donovan and Emily Shapiro contributed to this report.
