Spectators at a rugby tournament in Taveuni narrowly avoided serious injuries yesterday when part of a Ferris wheel’s engine allegedly snapped, causing the ride to spin out of control.
A team from this newspaper, present at the tournament, witnessed the alarming scene as people on the Ferris wheel tried desperately to get off while it spun uncontrollably.
“We heard a loud noise coming from the carnival, and a few minutes later, we started to smell smoke,” said a witness.
“When we ran to where the carnival was, we saw the Ferris wheel turning fast. Someone said it was turning the wrong way, and the operator was trying to control it.”
Video footage captured by this newspaper showed several bystanders stepping in to help slow the ferris wheel.
“It took about 10 men to slow it down so that people could get off safely,” another witness said.
“The last people to get off were a woman and a child.”
Police spokesperson Wame Bautolu confirmed that officers were at the scene of the incident. He added that investigations into the cause of the malfunction had begun.
