Shocking video footage captured an object coming loose and appearing to fly out of the crashing attraction amid screams and terror – with the incident leaving dozens injured
A theme park ride holding dozens of thrill-seekers split in half whilst swinging in the air in Saudi Arabia, leaving nearly two dozen injured.
Shocking video footage captured an object coming loose and appearing to fly out of the crashing attraction amid screams and terror. The accident left 23 people wounded, while three were “critically injured” and rushed to hospital, according to the Khaleej Times.
Tragedy struck moments after a cracking sound was heard on the ride – called ‘360 Degrees’ – at the Green Mountain Park in the Al Hada area of Taif. It comes after engineers were sacked after building a £1.6million right-angle ‘disaster’ bridge.
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Eyewitnesses said the ride’s central pole “recoiled at high speed”. Riders seated as it fell were hurt but the safety harnesses mainly held.
The wounded were given first aid and were then treated at hospital and authorities in Saudi Arabia have since launched a probe into the horror.
It comes after a man tragically died during a horrific accident at a theme park last month when one arm of the ride snapped in mid-air throwing two men off.
Insurance agent Tushar Dhumal, 35, suffered severe head injuries when the car he was sitting in detached from the machine on June 18 – and although he was rushed to hospital he later died.
His companion Vaibhav Rupnavar, 30, suffered a similar trauma to Mr Dhumal. He underwent emergency surgery and remains critical but stable. Chilling footage captured by a bystander showed the moment the octopus-themed ride broke.
The ride, designed to resemble the sea creature with independently spinning tentacles, spun clockwise. Each of the arms on the ride had four cars attached to.
Suddenly, a loud bang was heard and the woman filming the video screamed. Mr Dhumal from Pune, India, was on the ride with three friends. Officials described the incident at Sayajiraje Park in Akluj, Anandnagar, India, as a “catastrophic malfunction”.
Tushar’s brother, Abhijeet Dhumal, has filed a formal complaint at the Akluj police station. He alleges negligence by the ride operator and claims that the tragedy was a result of the ride being run at excessive speed and lacking proper maintenance.