Nearly 30 people were injured today when a carriage came loose on a ride at Alton Towers amusement park.

Four people were taken to hospital and 25 others were treated for minor injuries after the front end of the Runaway Mine Train carriage became separated from the rest, then rolled into the back end.

An inquiry by the parks management team and the Health and Safety Executive has been launched.

A spokeswoman for the Staffordshire theme park said the ride, which carries up to 46 people and which was full at the time, was stopped immediately in line with emergency procedures following the incident at 11am.

She said everyone was evacuated and the ride was clear within 40 minutes.

Two women, aged in their late 30s or early 40s, were airlifted to the University Hospital of North Staffordshire in Stoke-on-Trent suffering possible whiplash, spinal or abdominal injuries.

Staffordshire Ambulance Service said that the rest of the casualties were taken to an on-site medical centre where a doctor decided that a third woman should attend the same hospital for a check-up. She was conveyed by land ambulance.

A fourth person, a man, is believed to have made his own way to a minor casualties centre in Leek.

The Alton Towers spokeswoman said: "The park’s fully-trained First Responders were also at the scene within minutes and a number of guests are being cared for on-site with cuts, bruises and minor injuries. As a precaution, four guests have been taken to hospital.

"The health and safety of our guests is our primary objective. The ride has been closed and will remain so whilst a thorough investigation is carried out by the park’s management team together with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE)."

She said the rest of the park remained open as usual. A HSE spokeswoman this afternoon confirmed that an investigator had been sent to the theme park to look into what happened.

She said: "Alton Towers reported the accident promptly to the HSE and an HSE investigator has attended the scene immediately to begin an investigation."

The Runaway Mine Train is one of the older attractions at Alton Towers.

Its description on the theme park’s website invites thrillseekers to "rattle along the rickety rails and mine shafts, past trees and rivers, on a speeding locomotive that’s out of control - and getting faster every second".

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