Firefighters in Russia were called to an amusement park last week to rescue people who were stuck on a swing ride, dangling 50 feet in the air.
“Swing rides at the amusement park… stopped due to technical reasons,” officials said after the rescue, according to Newsflare.
The swing ride at the park in Nalchik City malfunctioned on June 16, prompting the fire department to deploy a rescue operation. Video of the rescue showed a fire rescue worker climbing up a ladder to bring down the 13 people stranded on the ride.
EMERCOM said rescue personnel managed to bring everyone down safely with no injuries. The service will investigate the cause of the malfunction.
Russia has seen trouble with swing rides before, with one such ride collapsing last year and injuring 20 people after the carousel roof, which anchors the seats, collapsed, according to local reports.
Bystanders rushed to help the victims in that incident, helping pull the victims free. At least eight children were hurt, while a 27-year-old woman and a 10-year-old girl were rushed to a hospital in “grave” condition. The girl required surgery, per-local outlets.
Portland’s Oaks Amusement Park last week had a similar incident, with 28 people stuck upside down at the top of the AtmosFEAR ride. The park said the ride’s operators called 911 immediately after the ride got stuck at the “apex” position and initiated “emergency procedures.”
The riders remained suspended for about 25 minutes before first responders from Portland Fire & Rescue arrived and started bringing people down. No one was injured during the rescue and everyone was brought down safely.
The AtmosFEAR ride began operation in 2021 but will remain closed until further notice, according to a statement on social media platform X.
However, angry parents have sued the park over the malfunction, demanding $125,000 in damages for negligence.