Four teenagers have been seriously hurt in a crash between two carriages on a rollercoaster ride at Alton Towers.
Sixteen people were in one carriage of the Smiler ride; the other was empty.
West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS) said the four, two girls and two boys, are still on the ride, about 25 feet (7.6m) above the ground.
Eyewitnesses reported hearing "screaming and shouting" and "a loud crash" when the collision occurred at 14:09 BST.
The Staffordshire resort said its first aid staff were on the scene and emergency crews were building a platform to help reach riders.
WMAS said it was trying to rescue those trapped at an angle of about 45 degrees.
"Our rope rescue staff are working at height to carefully release and treat the four seriously injured teenagers. The 12 other occupants on the ride are said to have suffered minor injuries and it's hoped that they will be discharged from the scene."
Eyewitness Ben Richardson said: "When the second carriage crashed people were screaming and shouting - even after it stopped. Everyone around the park ran over.
"The people looked significantly distressed. It was almost like a car crash, very full on."
'Serious injuries'
Sophie Underwood, who was in the park at the time, said: "It wasn't very high but it was obviously high enough for them to cause some quite serious injuries to the people that were on the rollercoaster.
"They literally had come back off and round the back of a loop, and straight into another empty coach that had been stuck.
"There was a big crash, and I think there were quite a few people that were angry because they said that they had told the staff that the coach before had stopped but they hadn't actually called through."
'Loud crash'
Ellis Dyson, 23, who was in the queue for the ride, added: "The ride was delayed because of a technical fault for a while and then the ride came back on.
"They sent a carriage without any people on it first and then sent a carriage with people on and that was the one that crashed. The platform of the ride where we were vibrated and a massive loud crash."
Visitors reported on social media that the ride had broken down earlier in the day.
The Smiler ride
- Max speed: 52 mph
- Ride time: 165 seconds
- Highest drop: 30 metres
- Loops: 14
- Cost: £18 million
- Opened: 2013
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Lucy Farrugia said: "Smiler broke down when I was on it this morning and now it's crashed. Hope everyone on it is OK, saw the air ambulance arrive."
Merlin Entertainment, which runs the resort, said in a statement: "There has been an incident on the Smiler this afternoon involving two carriages coming together on a low section of the track. One of the carriages was empty and the other had 16 guests in.
"The resort's fully qualified first responders were on the scene immediately to assist with the evacuation which is ongoing, and the area has been closed to allow for access to emergency services vehicles."
14-loop rollercoaster
The Smiler opened in May 2013 and is billed as the world's first 14-loop rollercoaster.
It holds the official Guinness World Record for most loops in a rollercoaster, according to the Alton Towers website.
The resort claims it features "a series of twisted psychological effects including optical illusions, blinding lights and near misses designed to mess with your mind".
There have been several accidents and incidents involving the £18m ride since it opened in May 2013.
Alton Towers
Alton Towers is located near the village of Alton in Staffordshire and used to be a country estate.
It originally became a tourist attraction because of its gardens, but travelling fun fair rides were added to the grounds in the 1950s.
The installation of the Corkscrew rollercoaster in 1980 is regarded as a key point in the development of Alton Towers into a major theme park.
It now has some of the UK's best known rollercoasters - including Nemesis, Oblivion, Air and Rita - and attracts millions of visitors every year.
From BBC.Com
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