Eight carnival-goers in the United States, including seven children, were left hanging upside down on a roller coaster that malfunctioned for at least three hours on Sunday.
While none of them were injured, all were taken to the hospital.
The mechanical failure happened on the last day of the Forest County Festival in Crandon town, Wisconsin state, CBS News reported.
Facebook user Scott Brass posted videos showing the stationary roller-coaster cars at the top of a loop. The Fireball ride runs along a ring-shaped track, turning riders upside down at the top.
“Kudos to the little girl who told the fireman to go rescue the older man first because he was struggling. That little girl deserves a medal of courage for sure,” Mr Brass said.
First responders from the fire department in the city of Antigo, about 50km from Crandon, arrived about 40 minutes after the malfunction, reported CBS 58.
They freed the riders and helped them get onto an elevated platform on a fire engine and brought them to safety.
Firefighter Erica Kostichka told CBS 58 that the children’s “legs were shaking, they were sweating”.
“It was just a matter of letting them know ‘Hey, this is no race to get down to the finish line, the hard part is over’. They were very brave,” she said, adding that the cause of the malfunction was unknown.
She noted that the ride was recently inspected by the state of Wisconsin.
According to the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services, all amusement rides need to be inspected daily before operation.
Mr Brass, who lives in Crandon, said that residents should raise funds to buy a boom truck – which has a hydraulic crane – for the fire department of the small town, which has a population of about 1,800.
“Things could have been tragic waiting for other departments with the proper equipment to get here,” he added.
[2EC – original article]
[Picture – Mirror online]