The ‘free fall’ is a characteristic feature of a drop tower, which brings riders high above the ground before plummeting them to earth at high speed. Picture: Thomas Stadler/ Unsplash
A VIDEO posted on TikTok by user @billsmafia.prodz on Sunday evening shows the moment an amusement park ride in India crashes to the ground with dozens of people on board.
Around 9.15pm on Sunday, according to the original report from New Delhi Television (NDTV), a drop tower at a fair in Mohali, in the Indian state of Punjab, suddenly malfunctioned.
The circular platform where patrons were seated had reached the top of the vertical structure when it abruptly dropped to the ground, with nothing to break the 15-metre fall.
https://v16-webapp.tiktok.com/1d5f3fa6673600befe889ce2233f4685/6317686f/video/tos/maliva/tos-maliva-ve-0068c799-us/e028619c1e9a421caedb40ca53e801d6/?a=1988&ch=0&cr=0&dr=0&lr=tiktok_m&cd=0%7C0%7C1%7C0&cv=1&br=560&bt=280&cs=0&ds=3&ft=eXd.6HGoMyq8ZvaB~he2Nf9wyl7Gb&mime_type=video_mp4&qs=0&rc=aGdkZWhmNDk2ZThnNTdnNEBpMzpqcmc6ZjYzZjMzZzczNEA0YGIzXjQ2XzIxYGFeYS1iYSNmM180cjQwb19gLS1kMS9zcw%3D%3D&l=2022090609332801021708014107071049&btag=80000The "free fall" is a characteristic feature of a drop tower, which brings riders high above the ground before plummeting them to earth at high speed. Functioning correctly, the platform then experiences a sudden deceleration when the brakes are pulled and riders are gently returned to the ground before dismounting.
Well, that did not happen. The tower violently plunged its riders to the ground, with the video showing patrons bouncing violently against the ride as the platform hit the ground. Some patrons were pulled out of their seats by the strength of the whiplash.
According to India’s Business Standard newspaper, an estimated 50 people were on board the ride when it malfunctioned, with India’s TV9 journalist Nikhil Choudhary tweeting that “16 people were injured and hospitalised after the incident,” while the Hindustan Times wrote that 10 people were "critically injured."
The Hindustan Times reported that “several children involved in the incident were being treated at Fortis Hospital, and that most of those injured had suffered neck, back and jaw injuries. There were no reported fatalities.”
There have been no further details on why the ride malfunctioned on Sunday. The fair organisers said the malfunctioning was due to a "technical issue" and are cooperating with police, according to the Hindustan Times.
One of the organisers of the fair told the newspaper that they had operated the ride before and nothing like Sunday's incident had ever happened.
Locals present at the scene of the incident reported that there were no safety measures at the fair and that ambulances didn't immediately arrive to take care of those injured.
Indian authorities are investigating the incident.
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