Swedish authorities say weak spare parts caused roller coaster accident that killed one person and injured nine

COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Swedish accident investigators said Friday that the country’s oldest amusement park failed to properly test new parts for a roller coaster that derailed last year and sent several passengers plummeting to the ground, killing one and injuring nine others, one seriously.

The accident on June 25 in Grona Lund Park in Stockholm was “caused by deficiencies in the ordering, manufacturing and testing of new support arms for the Jetline trains,” the Swedish Accident Investigation Board said. It said the support arms were not stable enough.

There were 11 passengers on the roller coaster at the time of the accident. The front of the train came off the tracks, causing one car to tip to the ground. A woman in her 30s was thrown from the train and died. Two other people also fell from the train, one of whom was seriously injured and the other slightly injured. Seven other passengers also suffered minor injuries.

Police have also launched a separate criminal investigation into the accident. Christer B. Jarlås, prosecutor at the National Unit for Environment and Working Environment, said police had conducted extensive interviews, technical examinations of the train carriages and material analyses. He said there was currently no timetable for when a decision would be made on whether to press charges.

The 800-meter-long roller coaster opened in 1988 and was renovated in 2000, according to Grona Lund. It has a maximum height of 30 meters and a top speed of 90 kilometers per hour.

Gröna Lund was opened in 1883.