Children's laughter turns to screams... Viking ride overturns and falls in department store

At a large department store cultural center in Jung-gu, Busan, an accident occurred where a tube Viking ride, manually pushed by staff, flipped over, causing serious facial injuries to three children.

According to an MBC report on the 8th, the day before, at a class in a department store cultural center in Jung-gu, Busan, the tube Viking ride carrying children began to rise higher as the staff standing on both sides of the ride pushed with force. The ride, which rose to a dizzying height, then tilted to one side and flipped over.

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Six children aged 4 to 7 who were on the ride were secured with seat belts, but three of them were seriously injured after hitting the ground headfirst, suffering fractures to their eyes and heads, and received hospital treatment. All five staff members on site had more than five years of experience but were unable to prevent the accident.

The parents of the children involved in the accident claimed that safety measures were insufficient and the response after the accident was inadequate. One mother of a victim told MBC, "It was just a bare floor. I believe mats should have been laid down as a matter of course," and added, "Instead of calling 119 (emergency services), they called a taxi to take us, and even though the children were bleeding and injured, I still can't understand that."

The department store admitted that their preparation and response to the safety accident were lacking. The operating company also said, "The program operators were also excited and tried hard, but it seems we overlooked safety aspects and proceeded. We apologize once again."

Furthermore, the company acknowledged the accident as caused by negligence, saying, "It happened while trying to entertain the children." They also apologized to the victims and promised compensation.

Meanwhile, the program was held three times for 50 minutes each on the day of the accident, and MBC reported that the company continued the final schedule after the accident by removing only the ride involved, which sparked controversy.

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