Over 20 people were injured after an amusement park ride they were on broke in half and fell to the ground. This terrifying accident happened in Taif, Saudi Arabia, at Green Mountain Park on Thursday, July 31.
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Nearly 2 Dozen Injured After Theme Park Ride Snaps In Half And Falls To Ground
Multiple social media posts shared the video capturing the jaw-dropping moment the ride broke. The ride called 360 Degrees held multiple passengers, but 23 people were injured, some seriously, when the accident occurred.
This ride worked like a pendulum, swinging riders back and forth while connected to one pole. By the 30-second mark, the ride swung hard up into the air, and suddenly the pole snapped with a hard crack.
The riders, all sitting in a circle on the outer rim, fell with one half of the ride. It looked like some even got slammed hard into the other half of the ride as it fell. Luckily, it didn’t look like anybody fell from their seats. But this accident critically injured at least three passengers, according to News 18.
The outlet learned from several witnesses that the ride’s pole hit some individuals standing on the opposite side of the ride after it recoiled. Emergency services swiftly arrived on the scene to attend to all the victims. They have since transported all injured individuals to local hospitals.
Similar Theme Park Incidents
The police are now investigating the incident to find the cause of the break. These rides always have operators whose jobs are to watch out for signs of accidents. But perhaps nothing seemed out of the ordinary until the pole cracked.
This hasn’t been the only recent theme park ride accident. A little girl at an Indiana County Fair was thrown off a ride. Whatever safety bar or seatbelt she had clearly hadn’t worked, as witnesses saw her fly headfirst off the ride.
Also recently, guests riding Universal Orlando’s Jurassic Park River Adventure were stuck on a sinking boat. The video shared on July 11 showed the ride malfunctioning, causing the boat to sink into the water. Luckily, nobody got injured, but it took 15 minutes for anyone to fix the issue.