Spanish Ride Soaring 90m Suddenly Plunges as Cable Snaps

An accident occurred at a festival site in Seville, Spain, when the cable of an amusement ride snapped. As the ride fell from a height of 90 meters, four people were injured.

According to reports from international media such as The Sun on April 25 (local time), a slingshot-style amusement ride called "Steel Max" was set up the previous day at the spring festival held in Seville, Spain. This ride operates by launching a two-seater capsule up to about 90 meters in the air at a speed of 160 kilometers per hour using elastic cables. Riders experience up to 5G of gravitational acceleration for a brief moment and, at the peak of the ascent, feel an almost weightless state before falling back down due to the rebound.

However, the accident occurred shortly after Steel Max began operating. In footage circulated on social networking services (SNS), the capsule carrying passengers begins to ascend, but just seconds later, the right cable snaps. The capsule, still carrying the passengers, plummets downward, bounces back up, and collides with the opposite pillar before coming to a stop, left hanging in midair.

The scene of the accident captured on social networking service (SNS). SNS capture

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The video also captured scenes of bystanders screaming in unison and exclaiming "Oh my God." The accident reportedly took place in the amusement ride area known as "Calle del Infierno" (Street of Hell).

According to local Spanish media outlet ABC Sevilla, two children were inside the capsule at the time. After the cable snapped and the capsule struck the pillar, the children had to wait for rescue while suspended several meters above the ground.

Emergency responders immediately arrived on the scene and rescued the children, who were then transported to a medical center for treatment. In total, four people were injured in the accident, but fortunately, all sustained only minor injuries.

A local fire department official told the media, "Firefighters cordoned off the area around Steel Max after the amusement ride accident occurred at around 8:20 p.m. Four people suffered minor injuries and were treated at the scene, while the two people on the ride were taken to a medical center." Police are currently investigating the exact circumstances of the accident.

The site of the accident is a famous tourist attraction in Spain that hosts a large-scale festival every spring, where citizens and tourists mingle and enjoy dancing and food among more than 1,000 installations within the venue.

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