According to police, the amusement park ride accidentally turned on while the 53-year-old was working on it. The man, an employee of a park subcontractor, was severely injured and taken by helicopter to a hospital where he died. A preliminary investigation suggests he got trapped beneath a boat on the ride when it was inadvertently turned on in the early hours of Wednesday.

It's A Small World has been closed until further notice while the police investigation continues, said a Disneyland Paris spokesperson. Disneyland Paris, one of Europe's biggest tourist attractions, hit the headlines in the past when a teenage girl died on one of its roller coasters. The 14-year-old lost consciousness while she was on the Rock'n'Roller Coaster and, although medical teams at the theme park tried to revive her, she had passed away by the time an ambulance arrived. Disneyland Paris, which opened in 1992, was previously called Euro Disney.