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State officials 'on site' at Carowinds amusement park after visitor exposes potentially deadly coaster crack

Labor officials are inspecting a North Carolina theme park ride that was spotted with a safety defect last week, prompting its temporary closure.

North Carolina labor officials are looking into an amusement park roller coaster after a visitor spotted a crack on one of the ride's support pillars last week. 

Jeremy Wagner posted to Facebook on Friday that he discovered the crack in the Fury 325 giga roller coaster at the Carowinds amusement park and notified officials. The ride was temporarily shut down. 

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"The North Carolina Department of Labor is aware of the incident at Carowinds," the agency said in a Monday statement. "At this time, we have inspectors on site who are working to gather more information. We will be able to make a full assessment and provide further information as it becomes available. Safety always has been and always will be our top priority at the North Carolina Department of Labor." 

Over the weekend, a park spokesperson told Fox News Digital it was conducting an inspection of the ride.

"Carowinds closed Fury 325 after park personnel became aware of a crack at the top of a steel support pillar," the spokesperson said in a statement. 

"The park’s maintenance team is conducting a thorough inspection and the ride will remain closed until repairs have been completed," the statement continued. "Safety is our top priority and we appreciate the patience and understanding of our valued guests during this process.

The park bills the Fury 325 as "the world’s tallest and fastest giga coaster" with a maximum speed of 95 mph. The ride reached a height of 325 feet before dropping 81 degrees, according to the park's website. 

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