Videos on social media showed one person being hurled off the ride as others screamed, trapped by the restraints designed to protect them

Six people have been charged after a ride at an Indian amusement park broke in mid-air and crashed to the ground, killing two people and injuring dozens of others.

Local media reports the accident occurred on Sunday at Kankaria Lake’s Balvatika Amusement Park in Ahmedabad, about 500 kilometres from Mumbai.

Distroscale

With legs dangling, 32 riders face outward on the pendulum ride named Discovery. Riders rotate on a central pendulum that reaches a 180 degree arc, swinging as fast as 10 metres per second, according to the Times of India

The Times reports a load-bearing cable snapped, stripping the welding of a pipe from the main shaft, which sent the the circular frame full of riders smashing into the support beams before plunging towards the concrete below.

Videos on social media showed one person being hurled off the ride as others screamed — trapped by the seat belts and over-the-shoulder restraints designed to protect them.

Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.

Of the reported 31 people on the ride, Mayor Bijal Patel told the Hindustan Times two died and 27 people were taken to hospital.

“An inquiry has been ordered. Police, along with a forensic team, reached the spot to find out the reasons behind the accident,” Ahmedabad municipal commissioner Vijay Nehra told the Hindustan Times.

While it’s clear a pipe disconnected from the main shaft, investigators are trying to confirm exactly why it happened.

Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.

Documents obtained by the Indian Express show a monthly inspection report was submitted by Superstar Amusement, the company that owns the park, on Jul 6 including a note that read “nut bolt replace.”

The government’s Road and Buildings Department inspects and certifies rides, but Mayor Patel told the Express no government official was prima facie responsible for the tragedy and the disaster may have never happened at all if the report had arrived on time.

Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.

“India has a long standing problem which allows the use of inferior, unauthorized copies of rides made by either local companies or rides sourced from other countries, often with fatal results,” read a statement from Zamperla , another ride manufacturer in India.

“Counterfeit copies may be less expensive, however such products are a risk to the public as there are no similar levels of safety built into their design, fabrication and testing.”