A seven-year-old boy believed to have fallen from a rollercoaster is in a critical condition, police have said.

Witnesses said he fell from the Twister rollercoaster at Lightwater Valley, near Ripon, North Yorkshire, on Thursday.

People reported hearing screams and seeing him “hanging backwards” from the carriage.

Police said the boy was taken to hospital with head injuries and was in a “critical but stable condition”.

He is being treated at Leeds General Infirmary.

North Yorkshire Police and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) are investigating.

The theme park tweeted it was “devastated” by the news of the boy’s condition.

It added: “While the Health and Safety Executive investigation is continuing, we will support them and be guided by their advice.”

Eyewitness Mark Charnley said the boy was “hanging backwards outside the actual carriage”.

“Everybody started shouting to get the attention of the guy running the machine,” he said.

It is the second incident involving the same ride at the theme park.

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[BBC Yorkshire – original article]

[Pictures – BBC Yorkshire/Simon Moran/Getty Images]