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Following the crash of a Christmas fairground ride in Birmingham city centre, two men have been arrested on suspicion of perverting the course of justice and obstructing officers. The men, aged 55 and 21, were arrested at the scene on Thursday evening and are both still in custody. The incident happened when the City Star Flyer ride suffered a mechanical issue, subsequently “failing and crashing” in Centenary Square. Two women were taken to hospital and 11 others were assessed by paramedics, then discharged at the scene.
Emergency services were called to the event at around 7:30pm, with barriers erected between an ice rink, a library and a Rep theatre, the areas cordoned off and under investigation, and people were asked to avoid the area. Images of the ride show wires from a number of gondolas tangled together, the ride operator, Danter Attractions, is now “fully cooperating with the authorities” in the ongoing investigation.
Passenger Louise Brown was one of the individuals on the 55m high ride when it crashed to the ground, causing injuries to herself and others. Ms Brown said it was difficult “to process how one minute you can be innocently having fun and screaming in a scared way, to then screaming because you could have potentially lost your life.” Ms Brown called for action to ensure the safety of ride users in future.
Following the incident, the West Midlands Fire Service confirmed that the ride had “dropped to the ground” when in operation. A Health & Safety Executive investigation is underway and police say that they will remain at the scene to assist. The ride has been in operation since mid-November, with Danter Attractions announcing its planned open hours from 10am until 5pm. It remains unclear when the area will be reopened or what action will be taken regarding the future of the fairground ride industry, given the rise in accidents in recent years.
The crash comes less than two years after serious incidents at an annual fairground ride in Childers, Queensland, Australia, which claimed one life and caused dozens of injuries. Since then, ride safety across the world has been in the spotlight, with some countries reopening rides after significant inspection following lockdowns, which compounded problems in the struggling multi-billion dollar global industry
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