World's fastest-accelerating roller coaster is shut down

The ride (not pictured) is closed “for the time being” during a safety overhaul and investigation, the amusement park said. (Getty Images)

by: Nexstar Media Wire

Posted: Aug 25, 2021 / 01:45 AM AST

Updated: Aug 25, 2021 / 12:42 PM AST

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(NEXSTAR) — A roller coaster in Japan has been shut down until further notice after four passengers reported suffering injuries on the ride, according to local media reports.

The Fuji-Q Highland amusement park, located in Fujiyoshida City, Yamanashi, has suspended operation of its Do-Dodonpa roller coaster “for the time being” amid a safety overhaul, per a translated statement posted to the park’s website.

The park’s operators confirmed four reports of injuries sustained between Dec. 2020 and Aug. 2021, but stopped short of saying the coaster was a direct cause.

“We would like to express our deepest sympathies to the injured customers … but we will endeavor to investigate the cause under the guidance of the government,” the statement read, per a translation.

The ride has been out of operation since Aug. 12, the park added.

The injuries, as reported to officials in the Yamanashi Prefecture, were sustained by both male and female guests ranging in age from their 30s to 50s, according to Japan’s Yomiuri Shimbun news outlet. Specifically, at least one passenger on the Do-Dodonpa reportedly suffered a compression fracture of the cervical spine, a portion of the vertebrae in the neck.

Another is said to have suffered a fracture of the thoracic spine, in the upper and middle back, CNN reported.

The Do-Dodonpa opened at Fuji-Q Highland in 2017, according to Japan’s Asahi Shimbun newspaper. The park’s website touts the ride as being the world’s fastest-accelerating coaster, reaching speeds of nearly 112 miles per hour in just 1.56 seconds.