“A 14-year-old girl from Copenhagen died this afternoon after a tragic accident at the Tivoli Friheden in Aarhus,” Danish police said in a statement, adding that a 13-year-old boy had also been injured.

The accident occurred shortly before 1pm when a car broke loose from the Cobra ride, said Henrik Ragborg Olsen, director of the Tivoli Friheden theme park, told local media.

“It was the back part that broke off and was hanging under the rest of the train,” he told Danish broadcaster TV2.

The amusement park was closed and emptied of visitors.

The roller coaster on a 400-metre long, 25-metre-high track that can reach speeds of up to 70kmh was the scene of an accident in 2008, shortly after it opened.

At that time, it was the front part that broke away, leaving four people seriously injured.

An investigation revealed a construction error.