Disney World reopens ride after woman's death

updated 3:08 p.m. ET April 13, 2006

ORLANDO, Fla. - Walt Disney World reopened its “Mission: Space” attraction Thursday, a day after a woman who became ill after leaving the ride died at a hospital.

It was the second death in less than a year related to the Epcot Center ride, which spins riders in a centrifuge that subjects them to twice the normal force of gravity. It is considered so intense it has motion sickness bags and signs warning people with heart, back and neck problems not to board it.

The 49-year-old woman who died Wednesday had reported dizziness and nausea after stepping off the ride on Tuesday, Disney officials said.

Disney told state officials that the woman, who was not identified, may have had high blood pressure and other unspecified health problems.

“Walt Disney World engineers and ride system experts completed a thorough inspection of the attraction overnight and found it to be operating properly,” the theme park said Thursday in announcing the reopening of the ride.

A worker from the state Bureau of Fair Rides Inspection monitored the testing and said the ride didn’t appear “to be acting abnormal in any way,” said Terence McElroy, a spokesman for Florida’s Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, which oversees the bureau.

The $100 million ride, one of Disney World’s most popular, was also closed in June after the death of a 4-year-old boy who passed out while aboard. An autopsy concluded he died of a heart condition that a medical examiner said can cause sudden death in stressful situations.

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