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Two children who were in the raft that flipped at Dreamworld survived, but watched their mothers die.

A 12-year-old girl and a 10-year-old boy were on the ride alongside their mothers that malfunctioned yesterday at Dreamworld on the Gold Coast, flipping and killing four occupants.

Two men aged 38 and 35, and two women, aged 42 and 32, died in the horrific incident on the ‘Thunder River Rapids’ at the popular theme park.

The victims have been named as Canberra mother of two Kate Goodchild, 32, her brother Luke Dorsett, 35, his partner Roozi Araghi, 38, and an as yet unnamed 42-year-old woman.

Kate Goodchild, her husband Dave and their 12-year-old daughter. Via Facebook.

Also on the ride was Kate Goodchild’s 12-year-old daughter and the 10-year-old boy of the 42-year-old woman, thought to be from Sydney, but originally from New Zealand.

The Daily Telegraph reports that the group were just five seconds from the end of the ride when the raft flipped, drowning two of the adults and crushing the other two on a conveyor belt. Miraculously the two children were thrown to safety.

Luke Dorsett was killed on the Dreamworld ride. Via Facebook.

Mrs Goodchild’s husband, Dave, who was also at the park had not gone on the ride. He instead waited on the sides with their eight-month-old daughter.

Luke Dorsett and his partner Roozi Aragh, both from Canberra, had travelled to the Gold Coast along with the Goodchilds on a family holiday. Also in the party was Kate and Luke’s mother Kim Dorsett.

Mr Aragh was well known in Canberra and a long standing public servant, most recently in a position with the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

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Roozi Araghi died when the raft flipped. Via Facebook.

As details of the tragic accident unfold, witnesses have described the terrified screams of Mrs Goodchild’s 12-year-old daughter calling for her mother just moments after the terrible accident, and after she was flipped to safety.

Kate Goodchild had two children. Via Facebook.

Claire Wooley and Lia Capes were waiting in line to go on the ride when the accident happened. They said a 12-year-old girl was wandering near the exit calling out for her mother. She was hysterical, they explained.

"She just kept screaming 'Where's Mummy? Where's Mummy?" Claire Wooley said.

"We tried to comfort her, but she was so emotional it was hard."

"We were in tears ourselves and she was just hysterical."

The accident which is the worst in Dreamworld's history has left the nation shocked and saddened, but most of all heartbroken for the families who lost their loved ones.

In a post no mother should ever have to write, the mother of Kate Goodchild and her brother, Luke Dorsett, Kim Dorsett expressed her grief on Facebook.

The Daily Mail reports she wrote:

“My family have been completely wiped out, I have three children and two of them are now gone. My eight-month-old granddaughter is never going to know her mother and that truly breaks my heart."

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Kate Goodchild and her daughter. Via Facebook.

Ms Dorsett expressed the same grief to The Courier Mail, adding that her 12-year-old granddaughter was distraught.

“I’ve been with her all afternoon and all night and she has gone to stay somewhere else,” Ms Dorsett said.

“Like me, she is still coming to terms with it all but she is completely devastated – she is blaming herself for what has happened.

“She has had a truly terrible day, she is going through unimaginable pain at the moment. I’m at a loss as to how to deal with this now – I woke up this morning with three children and tomorrow I am only going to have one left.”

The Thunder River Rapids, one of the tamest at the park, is described as a ride down a “foamy water track” at up to 45km per hour.

The two decade old ride is one of the park’s most popular, situated in the “Town of Gold Rush” area.

But visitors to the park have expressed concerns that the ride – and others in the park – may have been experiencing technical problems earlier in the day.

Guests at the park yesterday told media that the ride had been twice shut down for repairs during the day.

One visitor told Nine News, "we were waiting there for about half an hour and the engineers had to come."

"They drained all the water out and then had to fill it all back up."

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On social media visitors to the park have criticized the “aging rides.”

Facebook user Tasneem Seedat gave Dreamworld a two star review on Monday, saying rides are “out of date and are not as smooth as they should be.”

“I injured myself on the way down from the giant drop because of your old school repairs and upgrades. Wipe-out and a few others need replacing. It just needs a general update all together. All rides are out of date,” she wrote.

“Another major concern is that for all of your rides there is only 1 or at max 2 people operating it and checking harnesses.”

"Someone will die." Via Facebook.

Another woman, Queensland local Tracey Christensen reported one of the rides kept operating despite a belt buckle securing her children coming undone.

“I told the attendants they didn’t listen. I went and told the manager, and he said he will call someone to go have a look, yet they continued to let people on the ride and keep operating,” she said.

In her now ominous post she warned, “Someone will get seriously injured or killed one day.”

Kate Goodchild's family have expressed their grief. Via Facebook.

Dreamworld CEO Craig Davidson said park staff were “deeply shocked and saddened.

He said, “our hearts and thoughts go to the families involved and their loved ones”.

The park will remain closed.