16 injured after Chinese fairground ride collapses
- Footage of the incident in Hunan province shows how the swing ride suddenly came crashing down to earth
- Saturday’s accident happened on the second day of the Lunar New Year holiday, one of the busiest times of year for amusement parks
Sixteen people have been injured, three seriously, after a fairground ride collapsed in central China.
The accident occurred at an amusement park in Shaoyang county in Hunan province on Saturday afternoon. Footage published online showed how the “flying chairs” suddenly crashed to the ground leaving several people injured.
A visitor to the fair surnamed Deng told The Beijing News that he had been queuing for the ride when he suddenly heard the malfunction alarm sound as the chairs were swinging through the air.
“The swing ride gathered speed and was going faster and faster, then it fell off and hit the ground,” said Deng. “Most of the injured were onlookers. Fortunately we ran away quickly, otherwise we would have been hit as well”.
The local government said the ride had suffered a “mechanical glitch”.
The accident happened on the second day of the Lunar New Year holiday, a time when amusement parks are extremely busy.