Festival-goers were left dangling upside down for 20 minutes after a fairground ride at Boardmasters broke down.
The Apollo 13 attraction takes thrill-seekers to the highest point of the festival in Newquay, Cornwall, swinging riders up towards the sky on a huge arm before flipping them over when they get to the top.
It’s normally one of the highlights of the music and surfing event, but on Friday evening visitors had a terrifying experience as it got stuck, leaving them in an unpleasant position.
Chilling footage posted to social media in the wake of the malfunction shows panicking families being rescued from the ride late at night.
The clip sees Apollo 13 remaining rigidly in an upright position, towering over the popular festival as bystanders watch on in horror.
The poster captioned the video: ‘Apollo 13 broke, with people stuck at the top for 20 minutes.’
A spokesperson for Boardmasters Festival said: ‘At 1am on Thursday morning, one of the attractions temporarily lost power. As a safety precaution, the ride automatically halted with people on board.
‘The ride operator immediately responded and safely assisted all guests from the ride within 20 minutes. At no point were guests in any danger. The ride has since undergone a full safety check and resumed normal operation.’
Festival-goers were left dangling upside down for 20 minutes after the Apollo 13 ride at Boardmasters, pictured, broke down
Chilling footage posted to social media in the wake of the malfunction shows panicking families being rescued from the ride late at night
The Apollo 13 attraction takes thrill-seekers to the highest point of the festival in Newquay, Cornwall, swinging riders up towards the sky on a huge arm
It’s normally one of the highlights of the music and surfing event which attracts thousands of visitors each year
Apollo 13 is not the first festival ride to malfunction this summer, after the Airmaxx 360 at Hull Fair broke in June.
The incident left nursery teacher Jade Harrison, 27, ‘lucky to be alive’ after the structure launched her at 60mph when a metal bar holding her in collapsed.
She ended up struggling to breathe and suffering a broken jaw.
Ms Harrison was handed a five-figure settlement from the insurance company representing the ride’s owners, Taylor’s Funfair, who admitted liability for the crash.
In May, children screamed in terror as their waltzer car came crashing out of a fairground attraction after it suddenly appeared to malfunction.
Dramatic footage taken at the Galactic Carnival Festival in Wester Hailed, Edinburgh shows the ‘unthinkable’ happening as the circular vehicle goes flying.
The victims’ father, Kevin McNulty, who was in the car on the ride behind his three children, aged 13, 12 and seven, described seeing it ‘come completely off’ before going smack bang into his own seat.
Speaking of the events, which took place at around 7pm, Mr McNulty said: ‘Going full pelt their car came completely off and then went flying into our car.
‘It then smashed about the place crashing into the side off the track, thankfully there was a heavy large speaker that they collided with or they would have been through the whole thing and then the ending would have been a completely different story – a thought I can’t stop thinking about.
In May, children screamed in terror as their waltzer car came crashing out of a fairground attraction after it suddenly appeared to malfunction
Things soon spiral out of control as the ‘unthinkable’ happens and the circular vehicle goes flying
‘The shows continued to go (not the waltzers) but place should have been shut down for a full inspection.
‘It was like something you see in the movies and my kids are very very lucky that they managed to get out of this still walking.’
He added his children were shaken but ‘not too bad’ considering the circumstances.
The trio could be heard shouting ‘oh my god’ repeatedly in footage of the event, with one even sounding as though they have burst into tears.
In a public Facebook post shared by Mr McNulty, one person commented: ‘That’s horrendous, hope they are all ok.’
Another added: ‘Oh god hearing them scream like that makes me feel sick!’
A third said: ‘So scary, I’m just glad it’s all on video for evidence and the photos were taken. Hope everyone is ok.’
In December last year, a woman was injured in Birmingham when a 180ft Christmas fairground ride crashed to the ground.
In December last year, a woman was injured in Birmingham when a 180ft Christmas fairground ride crashed to the ground
Some 13 people were injured during the accident (pictured is the aftermath of the incident)
Louise Brown suffered injuries to her face, legs and arms, adding that her colleague was also hurt. Pictures show her with cuts and bruises on her face.
‘We were on it having fun and then it just crashed to the ground,’ she said.
‘It felt like we were descending, not at the highest point but still quite high. We just dropped.
‘It went backwards first though, which I’ve never seen it do before.’
Last year, the ‘Superstar’ fairground ride at Chestival fair, hosted by the University of Chester, broke apart – sending debris hurtling through the air and leaving two people hospitalised, including a student who suffered a concussion and whiplash.
Footage of the nightmare incident, captured on video by a horrified attendee, shows a large panel breaking free of the fast-moving ride in Chester, Cheshire.
The popular Superstar ride, dubbed a thrilling ‘whirlwind at super speed,’ collided at The University of Chester’s Exton Park Campus, sending debris flying through the air.
In a scene of chaos, the impact sent shattered glass flying in multiple directions – with adrenaline seekers fleeing for their lives.
Last year, the ‘Superstar’ fairground ride broke apart – sending debris hurtling through the air and leaving two people hospitalised, including a student who had suffered a concussion
Footage of the nightmare incident, captured on video by a horrified attendee, shows a large panel breaking free of the fast-moving ride in Chester, Cheshire
North West Ambulance Service was called to the site after two people, who were later rushed to hospital, were reported injured.
One student who found herself caught in the rain of debris was 19-year-old Caitlin Colclough, from Kidsgrove, who was rushed to Countess of Chester Hospital.
Caitlin was struck by a large panel that came crashing down towards the ground, leaving the teenager with a concussion and whiplash as a result of the impact.
After being promptly rushed to hospital, Caitlin underwent a CT scan which revealed the extent of her injuries, according to her mother.
Speaking to The Sun, Mandy Hancock, who spent the weekend in Chester caring for her daughter after the distressing ordeal, said: ‘I was crying my eyes out watching the video. It has given me a few nightmares.
‘The piece landed on them, but the ride kept going. I thought it would have had an emergency stop.’
The mother has now blasted the University and Students’ Union for how they have handled the incident, after claiming her daughter has since received limited support.
Ms Hancock said: ‘All that the Students’ Union published was that they were working with the Health and Safety Team. It’s disappointing how it has been handled post-accident. The support that has been in place has been very limited.’
Apollo 13 is not the first festival ride to malfunction this summer, after the Airmaxx 360 at Hull Fair broke in June
According to StokeonTrentLive, The Health and Safety Executive has since launched an investigation into the incident.
Earlier this year, a similarly dangerous event in India left two students injured when a funfair ride malfunctioned mid-air.
Horrifyingly, the fairground-goers at the MGM Amusement Park in Chennai had their swinging boat ride career several feet into the air when a large metal rod suddenly detached and fell on them.
And recent horror stories in the UK include a five-year-old having to be rushed to hospital earlier this week when the carriage of a funfair ride she was in in Llandudno, North Wales came loose and fell several feet to the ground.
Eyewitnesses said the carriage appeared to detach from the amusement ride on Saturday morning and that the young occupant was ‘ejected onto the road’ and left in tears before she was taken away in an ambulance.