Merlin Entertainments share price falls again as Alton Towers stays closed following Smiler rollercoaster collision
Alton Towers will remain closed today following a collision on an £18m rollercoaster which left four people seriously injured.
Read more: Two carriages of Alton Towers rollercoaster Smiler collide
Shares in the theme park's owner, Merlin Entertainments fell in early trading this morning, after a 3.5 per cent drop yesterday afternoon made it one of the biggest fallers on the FTSE.
The group's stock later recovered to finish the day 1.5 per cent up at a price of 450.9p per share.
In a statement yesterday Merlin Entertainments' chief executive Nick Varney commented:
The safety of our visitors is our primary concern. The park will remain closed until we understand better the cause of this dreadful incident.
A full investigation is now underway and we will continue to work closely with the emergency services and the health and safety executive.
Two men and two women were airlifted to major trauma centres with significant leg injuries while 12 others on the ride were less seriously injured.
The crash comes at the beginning of Merlin's busy summer season which was a key driver of the Resort Theme Parks' revenue of £331m and delivered 12m visitors in 2014.