Terrifying moment ‘360 Degrees’ swinging theme park ride breaks in two before crashing to the ground leaving 23 guests injured in Saudi Arabia
An amusement park ride carrying dozens of people has collapsed in mid-air, smashing into two pieces and injuring 23 people.
The ride, ‘360 Degrees’, hit its own pillar, sparking scenes of panic among the riders at the Green Mountain Theme Park in the popular tourist city of Taif in Saudi Arabia on Thursday.
At least three people were critically injured when the ride broke in half.
Footage of the crash reveals a loud cracking sound as the ride reached its peak height before swinging back down.
Excitable screams then turned into desperate wails as it crashed against the pillar, snapping it in two, and onto the ground.
The ride lurched back up after smashing the floor, sending aftershocks to the riders.
An object appeared to be flung at high speed away from the ride after it collided against itself.
Safety harnesses mostly stayed intact, with the thrill seekers seated as it fell.
An amusement park ride carrying dozens of people in Saudi Arabia terrifiyingly collapsed while in mid-air after it hit its own pillar
The rollercoaster, called ‘360 Degrees’, powerfully collided into its own pillar, sparking scenes of panic among the riders
Excitable screams then turned into desperate wails as it crashed against the pillar, snapping it in two, and onto the ground
The horrified riders are then heard screaming in fear, with three critically injured people rushed to hospital.
Eyewitnesses said the ride’s pole ‘recoiled at high speed’ before it crashed down.
They also reported the pole striking people standing on the opposite side.
The wounded were given first aid at the theme park before going to hospital, as several in Taif declared a Code Yellow emergency.
Operations in the theme park are thought to have been temporarily suspended.
Saudi Arabian law enforcement have since launched a probe into the crash.
It comes just months after a similar ride left a 13-year-old with multiple fractures after launching him from his seat.
The teenager was a passenger on the Pendulum 360 ride in Indonesia when the horror unfolded.
The thrill seekers completed a full loop and slowed down at the top, leaving the riders suspended upside down as intended.
At least 23 people were injured after the ride in the popular Saudi Arabian tourist city smashed in two
The wounded were given first aid at the theme park before going to hospital, as several in Taif declared a Code Yellow emergency
However as the gondola started to fall to earth, the boy clearly slipped from his seat and can be seen dangling on to a bar for dear life as the ride continues rotating.
The scene was caught on camera by one of the park goers at Jatim Park in Batu, Indonesia on April 8.
The boy fell from a height of around one and a half to two metres, NeedToKnow reported.
He was rushed to hospital where he was found to have suffered two fractures to his right hand and one to his right leg.
Police ordered the theme park to temporarily suspend operations of the Pendulum ride.
