Fairground horror as girl, 11, is left hanging from Ferris wheel when seat flips up, before finally losing her grip in front of screaming crowd and smashing through stall
- At a fair in Brazil, an 11-year-old girl was seen hanging from a Ferris wheel
- She fell seven meters after her hand slipped and hit a metal structure
- The safety lock on her slider was seemingly unlocked as it spun
An 11-year-old girl was left hanging from a Ferris wheel after an alleged malfunction caused her to fall from her seat.
The terror unfolded when a safety lock on the seat she and her friend were sitting on was allegedly unlocked as the ride, in a fairground in Rio Preto da Eva, Brazil, was moving around.
The suspected mistake caused the chair to flip, causing the girl and her 13-year-old friend to fall out.
The girl fell more than seven meters and landed with a thud on the ground, while the younger girl managed to grab herself with her hands.
Footage filmed by fairgoers shows her dangling high above the ground as people below watch in horror.
The young girl held on for dear life as the Ferris wheel continued to spin at the fairground in Rio Preto da Eva, Brazil
She was left dangling seven meters above the ground after her chair malfunctioned
She was seen hitting a structure apparently made of metal during her dangerous fall
As the ride creaks, she eventually loses her grip and falls to the ground as high-pitched screams are heard.
She is seen hitting a structure apparently made of metal during her descent on the night of October 31.
The other girl’s father, Raimundo Claudinei, was sitting in a different seat with his youngest daughter when the disturbance occurred.
He told local media: ‘We had made about five turns and I realized something was wrong.
‘Then I looked and saw my daughter already hanging upside down.
The gathered crowd screamed as the 11-year-old girl fell from her defective chair
The girls’ families plan to take legal action following the near-fatal incident
‘And when I looked again, she was already hanging and falling. As I held my seven-year-old daughter, I didn’t know what I could do.’
After the girls’ dive, paramedics provided first aid to the pair on the spot.
Both were then taken to a local hospital before being transferred to a larger facility in Manaus, approximately 56 miles away.
The older girl was still in hospital with injuries to her pelvic area.
Her family said she was still awaiting tests.
The younger girl has already been fired.
Raimundo recalled how the Ferris wheel felt extremely unsafe, with only a piece of rope separating the riders from a terrifying fall.
The amusement park has now been closed by the authorities and a report has been filed with the police.
Raimundo said he plans to sue the location if his daughter is found.
He told local media: “I will wait until she comes home and then take appropriate action together with the relevant authorities.”
The younger girl’s family also plans to take legal action, local media report.