Aachen
Breakdown at fair – people stuck in swing carousel for an hour
At a height of 25 meters, the chain carousel suddenly stopped
© Ralf Roeger / Picture Alliance
The passengers of the chain carousel had to endure an hour at a height of 25 meters. It is not clear why the ride suddenly stopped at an Aachen fair.
The chain carousel suddenly stopped 25 meters above the ground. “The ride could no longer transport the guests to the ground,” said the fire department. The fair visitors – 20 adults and four children – hung in the air for an hour. The emergency services had to free the visitors from the “Sky Gilder” in a complex rescue operation.
As the city of Aachen announced on Thursday, the carousel, an attraction on the Öchener Bend, had come to a standstill and could no longer be moved. The reason for the breakdown of the ride remained unclear. As the “Aachener Zeitung” reports, the first reports of the emergency reached the police around 9 p.m.
Elaborate rescue operation in Aachen
The fire brigade assumed a large number of possible injuries and therefore moved in with a large contingent of 70 emergency services, including rescue from heights. The helpers climbed up to the twelve gondolas of the “Sky Glider” on aerial rescue platforms and freed the visitors. At around 10 p.m. the last passenger was brought down again. A firefighter reports on WDR that the prisoners were excited but not panicked.
There were no injuries. All those affected were examined on site and were then able to leave the fair. During the operation, part of the fair remained closed, the rest of the operation continued. A crowd of onlookers who had gathered around the affected ride broke up after the end of the rescue operation. One of the eyewitnesses described the scenes as “quite spectacular”.
The Aachen showman boss was relieved “that nothing happened,” he told WDR. “It is important that all safety precautions have taken effect.” Further investigations into the cause of the technical failure are to be carried out by the municipal building inspector, the technical monitoring association and the office for occupational safety.
Sources: “Aachen newspaper“, AFP, WDR