Dutch maker halts Fire Ball fairground rides after US tragedy

The Dutch company that made a fairground attraction which malfunctioned at at fair in Ohio, killing one person, has ordered all similar attractions in the Netherlands to be shut down pending a full investigation.

A bystander’s video shows part of the mechanical ride coming loose, sending a carriage of passengers into the air. At least seven people were injured after being thrown from the ride and an 18-year-old youth died after landing some 16 metres from the attraction.

Albert Kroon of Dutch maker KMG said he was shocked by the video. ‘Attractions are not built to cause accidents,’ he said. This is the first accident in the 28 years of the company, he told website Nu.nl.

The Fire Ball, sold by the company under the name Afterburner, is a mechanical ride that swings passengers up to 20 metres into the air while spinning at 15 revolutions per minute, according to the company’s website.

At least two other versions of the ride are at fairs currently in the Netherlands and they will be halted while experts try to find out what went wrong, broadcaster RTL said.

One, operating under the name Chaos, is at the Tilburg fair, which is the biggest fair in the country. The other, the Nautilus, is at the Drievliet amusement park.

The company’s American representative will take the lead on the US investigation, Nu.nl said. KMG will then decide if other steps are needed.

EXCLUSIVE: “I turned my head and couldn’t watch it.” Eyewitness, recalls what he saw at the Ohio State Fair: https://t.co/CQrROSX1zr pic.twitter.com/rD7HC5Wvtw

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