Fairground ride smashes to the ground after cable snaps
Four people, including two children, were injured after a fairground ride fell off its cable in Spain.
Amusement parkgoers were enjoying a day out at an annual fair in Seville yesterday when the hair-raising incident happened.
Onlookers could be overheard screaming and shouting out: ‘My God’ as the drama unfolded on the slingshot ride called Steel Max, in an area of attractions dubbed ‘Calle del Infierno’ which in English translates as ‘Street of Hell.’
The two youngsters were inside the capsule that hit a side post at speed after the cable broke before it ended up suspended several feet in the air.
A spokesman for an emergency response coordination centre said in the aftermath of the incident: ‘Firefighters have cordoned off the Steel Max attraction after an accident that occurred during its operation at 8.20pm.
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‘Four people were slightly injured and treated on site although the two on the ride were later taken to a medical center.
‘The area was secured after the rescue with the help of Civil Protection workers.
‘Local police immediately carried out an inspection of documentation and National Police are taking charge of the investigation.’
The extreme amusement ride on which the drama occurred propels a two-person capsule over 300 feet into the air at speeds up to 100 mph (160 km/h) using a spring-propulsion system or elastic cables.
Riders experience intense acceleration, forces up to 5Gs, temporary weightlessness, and a dramatic, high-speed vertical ascent followed by bouncing.
It was not immediately clear who the other two casualties were apart from the children in the capsule.
The Seville Feria is a week-long spring festival featuring a massive fairground with over 1,000 casetas or tents where locals drink and dance.
It originated in 1847 as an agricultural and livestock fair.
Two matadors have been injured so far in bullfights, which have taken place as part of the festival.
One was leading bullfighter Jose Antonio Morante Camacho, who was gored in the rectum.
He was left lying in the dirt, clutching his behind after a 1,128 lbs (512kg) bull named Clandestino rammed into his private parts.
He underwent hours of painstaking surgery after Monday’s dramatic incident, saying afterwards that ‘the truth is, I’m in a lot of pain,’ adding that he was currently being fed through a catheter.
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