Four teenagers are seriously hurt in '50mph' crash at Alton Towers after 'Smiler' ride smashes into empty carriage sent out to test track after a fault was reported hours earlier

.Two carriages - one empty and one containing visitors - collided today

• .16 people were involved in the crash and four were seriously injured
• .Paramedics face battle to get access to those involved in the crash
• .Visitors to park claimed the ride broke down earlier in the day

By RICHARD SPILLETT and EMMA GLANFIELD FOR MAILONLINE

Four teenagers have been seriously injured after a rollercoaster carriage carrying 16 people smashed into a second empty carriage at speeds of up to 50mph.

Visitors at Alton Towers theme park in Staffordshire said the 14-loop Smiler ride had broken down earlier today, before the crash happened.

Witnesses said park bosses had sent out empty carriages to test the ride before the 16 people - including the two boys and two girls who suffered serious leg injuries - were allowed to board.

But the carriage involved in the accident then smashed into one of the 'test' carriages which is said to have stopped on a low section of track.

Rescue efforts are being made to get to the those trapped on the ride, who are said to be '25 feet up in the air at an angle of about 45 degrees'.

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A photo taken at the scene shows a carriage with injured people inside stuck to the back of the empty carriage which it crashed in to. Four teenagers were seriously hurt in the crash on the Smiler ride

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Television helicopter footage showed rescue crews removing those stuck on the rollercoaster

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Passengers were seen being loaded on to stretchers as they hung at 45 degrees to the ground, 25 feet up

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Staff at the theme said they are constructing a platform to help emergency workers evacuate those trapped

Witness Ben Richardson, 18, said it appeared staff had sent an empty carriage out onto the track as a test, which then got stuck before another full of people collided into it.

The quantity surveyor, from Swandlincote, Derbyshire, said: 'I was just sitting nearby and a carriage that had got passengers in started off even though there was an empty one stuck on the track.

'It looked like it was sent out as a test and this carriage with people on went out and smashed into the back of it.

'The one with passengers had just come out of an inversion so it was like a horrific high speed car crash.

'I saw it all, there was a huge bump and when they came together they both crumpled because it was metal-on-metal at a high speed.

'No-one got thrown out, it was too far to see injuries but definitely they would have all had very bad whiplash at least. The passengers were screaming and people nearby were running over..

'The Alton Towers staff quickly moved people away from the area so we haven't been able to go anywhere near it since.'

Mr Richardson, who was on a day out with his girlfriend and her parents, said they were told The Smiler was having 'technical issues' earlier in the day.

He added: 'We went on it first thing this morning. When we were queuing they said they had a few technical difficulties.

'It stopped for about 10 to 15 minutes but then it was back up and running again. Obviously you feel for the people hurt and injured but we had a very lucky escape.' 

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Pictures of those trapped on board were posted on Twitter, with witnesses reporting some were unconscious

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Witnesses said the empty carriage was sent out to test the ride but stopped on the track before another carriage with people in it smashed into the back of it

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Some visitors to the theme park claimed on Twitter that the ride had broken down earlier in the day

Eyewitness Olivia Marston, 21, was on the ride less than half an hour before the crash.

She said: 'An empty cart went round the loop but couldn't get all the way round, this meant it fell backwards down the loop.

THE WORLD'S FIRST 14-LOOP ROLLERCOASTER: THE SMILER

The £18million Smiler ride opened in May 2013 and is billed as the world's first 14-loop rollercoaster.

It holds the official Guinness World Record for the most loops in a rollercoaster, according to Alton Towers.

It measure more than 3,838 feet in length and can carry a total of 80 passengers when it is operating at full capacity.

Staff said the ride operates up to five carriages – each containing 16 passengers – at any one time, with the number of carriages running depending on how busy the park is. There were two carriages – one full and one empty – at the time of the crash.

The ride features vertical drops of up to 100ft, a ride time of 165 seconds and a track length three times the length of the resort's famous Oblivion ride.

Alton Towers claims that the ride 'provides an experience like no other' and 'will marmalise your body and mind, combining intense physical effects from plunging drops and extreme turns with twisted psychological effects.'

It is billed as 'not for the faint hearted' and features 'a series of twisted psychological effects including optical illusions, blinding lights and near misses designed to mess with your mind.' 

'The empty cart was swinging backwards and forwards for a while then a cart full of people smashed right into the back of the empty one.

'The bang was horrendous. Absolutely horrific. Everyone crowded round the area and there were lots of screams.

'Alton Towers staff did quickly evacuate the area and it was shut down as fast as it could have been.

'I don't think it lost power as such. I think they were testing it as they had technical difficulties this morning but the second cart shouldn't have gone round, especially with people on it.'

Sophie Underwood, who was waiting to board the rollercoaster, also told the BBC that the ride had been experiencing issues earlier in the day.

She said: 'They had made quite a few announcements to say there were technical difficulties. They were sending coaches around with nobody on them.

'And then they said they had sorted it out so they decided to put people on the coach.'

Ms Underwood described a carriage carrying passengers crashing into another that was stationary at the top of the ride.

'It was quite scary. There was a big crash and as soon as everybody heard the crash everybody started walking back and leaving the ride,' she said. 

Ms Underwood added that from where she had been, she could see people had been injured. 

Danny Simm, a radio presenter on Bolton FM, who witnessed the aftermath of the accident, said that a number of people appeared to be badly injured.

He tweeted: 'People unconscious, knocked out. Blood everywhere. It really was shocking. Air ambulances landing now, people still stuck.' 

Visitors to the park tweeted telling of their shock after seeing people trapped on board the ride

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Four air ambulances with a trauma doctor on board flew to the scene to help those who were injured

Four Midlands Air Ambulances, carrying a trauma doctor on board, as well as four ambulances and several senior paramedic managers have arrived on the scene to deal with potential casualties.

West Midlands Ambulance Service confirmed among those most seriously injured were two teenage boys and two teenage girls.

A spokeswoman added: 'Of the 16 occupants on board the ride, two teenage boys and two teenage girls, have sustained serious leg injuries.

'A platform has been build up in order for emergency services to reach the occupants on the ride who are approximately 25 feet up in the air at an angle of about 45 degrees.

'Our paramedics, doctors, Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service and Alton Towers' 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.

'Once released from the ride, all four seriously injured teenagers will be airlifted to major trauma centres at University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire and Royal Stoke University Hospital for further emergency treatment.' 

Staffordshire Fire and Rescue said it had sent four pumps, a rescue tender, rope rescue and an aerial ladder to the incident. 

There are up to five carriages - each holding 16 people - which operate on the ride. The busier the park is, the more carriages are put on.

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Sixteen people were involved in a collision between two carriages on Alton Towers' Smiler ride (file photo)

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The rollercoaster, which cost £18million, travels at speeds of up to 53mph and its highest drop is 93ft

An Alton Towers spokesman said: '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.

'To ensure the safe and timely evacuation of guests a platform is being constructed. This will take a few minutes but will enable us to proceed more quickly.

'There will be a full investigation once we have recovered the guests who are our priority.'

A spokesman for the Health and Safety Executive said: 'We are aware of what has happened and have launched an investigation into it. It is too early to tell at this stage whether we will call from an inquiry.' 

A police spokesman said: 'At around 2.45pm police were made aware of an incident Alton Towers Theme Park. Officers are in attendance along with colleagues from other emergency services, and theme park staff, and they will be working together to deal with the incident.'

The £18 million ride, opened in May 2013, has been closed down twice before because of technical issues.

It is billed as the world's first 14-loop rollercoaster and holds the official Guiness World Record for most loops, according to the Alton Towers website.

The resort claims that it features 'a series of twisted psychological effects including optical illusions, blinding lights and near-misses designed to mess with your mind'.

In July 2013 the Smiler was closed after reports that a bolt was seen to have fallen from the ride.

And in November that year the rollercoaster was closed after plastic guard wheels came loose and hit front row riders. 

SEVEN INCIDENTS ON THE SMILER BEFORE TODAY'S TERRIFYING CRASH

The £18million ride has experienced numerous issues since it opened in May 2013, becoming the world’s first 14-loop rollercoaster.

May 31, 2013: Ahead of its official opening in May 2013, the ride experience a malfunction during an event for press and celebrities. The full carriage became stuck on the first vertical incline on the ride and passengers had to stay in their seats for an hour until they could be evacuated. Riders included the likes of rapper Tinchy Stryder and The Only Way Is Essex star Jessica Wright.

June 4, 2013: Just four days later, one carriage stalled during a test run before the ride was officially unveiled to the public.

June 10, 2013: The ride was then opened, but just a few days later the ride faced further problems and stalled on a batwing element. Staff knew the ride was experiencing difficulties and so the carriage was empty at the time, except for weighted dummies. The cause of the incident was revealed as a computer malfunction which triggered the brakes.

July 21, 2013: Just over a month later, 48 people had to be evacuated from the ride after a piece of equipment fell off the ride. There were reports that the piece of equipment was a 1ft-long metal bar, and a small gap in the track reportedly appeared as a result. The ride closed for four days following the incident.

July 30, 2013: The ride was closed for a further five days while cracks discovered around the ride’s support structure were filled.

November 2, 2013: Four people riding in the front of a carriage were injured after they were hit by plastic wheels which detached as the train attempted a vertical incline. At the time, a spokesman said some "small guide wheels" came off the ride, hitting father Kevin Hayes-Heath, his partner Wayne, a teenager girl and her father. Mr Hayes-Heath described the incident as "pretty frightening".

April 2014: Riders were left dangling 100ft above ground after a carriage on the ride got stuck on a vertical peak. The ride ground to a halt at the top of a near vertical section leaving more than 12 people stranded. At the time, one witness said: ‘There were people screaming. It must have been a terrifying ordeal for the passengers in the carriage.’