Three girls were injured when a teacup-style fairground ride carriage detached and hit a crowd at a fairground at Leeds Castle, Kent.
Eyewitness Dee Sturgess is quoted by the BBC and other media outlets as saying the teacup left the ride’s base and “hit people” on Saturday night.
“We were stood at the hook a duck stall when I heard screaming coming from the teacup ride which was just 15 feet away from us,” she said.
“I could see that there was a teacup that had left the ride base and was spinning through the air and it hit the people that were watching the children on the ride.
“The ride continued to move and everyone was screaming. I could not believe my own eyes.”
The girls’ injuries were described as “minor” by the BBC, with the Telegraph newspaper describing those injured as being underneath the teacup.
Organisers at Leeds Castle, which is hosting a funfair and fireworks event this weekend, said on-site medical personnel attended to three people for minor injuries, but that the ambulance service was not required.
“No significant physical injury”
A spokesman for the attraction was quoted in the Telegraph as saying: “Leeds Castle can confirm that an incident occurred yesterday evening before the fireworks event involving a low-level fairground ride falling from its revolving platform.
“As with any event of this size, Leeds Castle has a full team of paramedics on site who arrived within moments of the report of the incident, the ride being but fifty yards from the medical station, as did Leeds Castle’s Chief Executive and Health & Safety Officer who had both been in the control room when the incident was reported.
Leeds Castle is hosting a funfair and fireworks event this weekend
“Whilst the incident was attended by Kent Police, no other emergency service was called upon and Kent Police departed the site satisfied with the immediate response.
“Three people were directly involved and, while understandably shocked, none sustained significant physically injury and were able to watch the full fireworks display.
“The ride was being operated by an independent contractor who had all the necessary licences and up-to-date safety certificates for the rides at the event. The ride will be removed from the site once further inspections have taken place.
“All other rides are being inspected as a matter of course. The display will go ahead again this evening, Sunday 4 November.”