Tragic news came from an amusement park in Ahmedabad, India, on Monday, as the pendulum swing on the Discovery ride at Kankaria Lakefront Park suddenly snapped. The even was caught on video by attendee at the park, and you can hear the terrifying snap of the pendulum chord, and watch the carriage section holding the strapped in passengers on the ride to fall 20 feet into the ground below.
At around 5 p.m. local time, just as the ride was on an upswing into the air, which had 32 people on board, the load-bearing cable snapped which broke the contraption into two. An investigator explained to the Times of India, “The ride works when the main shaft with seats at the circular end is counter-balanced by a weight. When the cable snapped, the welding along the shaft came off and the carriage also fell.”
#Ahmedabad video two dead more than fifteen injured as pendulum ride broke down at Kankaria Lakefront @MumbaiMirror
Names of the two fatality victims were identified released to the press as Manali Ravjadi, 24, and Mohammed Zaid Momin, 22. Of the dozens injured, they are all in the age range of 16 to 24. As of press time, at least three of them remain in critical condition.
The ride is owned by Ghanshyam Patel and his son, Bhavesh Patel, and operated at Kankria on contract for AMC. The pendulum swing ride, which swings for side to side and also revolves anti-clockwise around the center base, was only four years old. The Patels insist they kept up maintenance on the ride and regularly checked it for any anomalies.
Authorities quickly evacuated the park after the ride’s fatal malfunction and are investigating into what caused the cable to break. Police inspector J.M. Solank told the Ahmedabad Mirror, “We have taken in manager Tushar Choksi and [directors] Ghanshyam and Bhavesh Patel for questioning along with ride operator Kishan [Mohanty]. We will file a primary case of accidental death in this case.”
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