Witnesses said a Christmas funfair ride suddenly ‘dropped to the ground’injuring two women and several other people in Birmingham last night.
People were out enjoying the ice rink, ferris wheel and nearby German Markets as part of Birmingham’s Christmas festivities around Centenary Square.
But one of the rides reportedly malfunctioned and collapsed while people were onboard.
The ride in question appears to be the Star Flyer, which lifts seats attached to wires into the air before spinning them around.
Pictures from the scene show these wires tangled together, and emergency personnel stood around its cordoned-off base.
An eyewitness said they saw ‘girls who appeared to be injured’ walk away from the area, with one ‘who seemed to have her face cut’, BBC reported.
None of the injuries were life-threatening, but one woman was taken to hospital.
West Midlands Fire Service said: ‘At approximately 7.30pm on Thursday, December 12, we responded to an incident at Centenary Square outside the International Convention Centre (ICC) in Birmingham.
‘One fire engine from Ladywood fire station attended, and arrived in just over four minutes.
‘This incident involved a fairground ride that had failed and crashed. The ride dropped to ground level whilst in operation.
‘We assisted Ambulance colleagues with treatment of a number of casualties, whose injuries are not life-threatening.
‘One casualty has been conveyed to hospital, with several others discharged on scene. We are not working on the rescue of any further casualties.
‘This incident has now been left with West Midlands Police.’
In a statement, the police said: ‘We currently have officers in Centenary Square, Birmingham following reports of an issue with one of the rides.
‘A small number of people are being treated at the scene by paramedics, but no serious injuries have been reported.
‘Centenary Square remains cordoned off this evening while we support our emergency service colleagues. Please avoid the area.’
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
