At least one person has died and seven others have been injured after an amusement park ride malfunctioned on the opening day of the Ohio state fair.



Five of the injured were in a critical condition and the other two were in a stable condition at hospitals in the area, Columbus fire battalion chief Steve Martin said. The man who was killed was one of several who were thrown when the ride – called the Fire Ball – malfunctioned, Martin said.

Official said the state fair would reopen on Thursday but the rides won’t be running until they all are determined to be safe.

Video captured by a bystander shows the ride swinging back and forth like a pendulum and spinning in the air when it crashes into something and part of the ride flies off, throwing riders to the ground.



In a statement, Republican governor John Kasich said he was “terribly saddened by this accident, by the loss of life and that people were injured enjoying Ohio’s fair”.

Kasich said he had ordered a full investigation and also ordered that all fair rides be shut down until additional safety inspections can be completed.

The fair did not immediately respond to a request seeking comment. In a post on its Twitter page it said: “There has been a report of a ride incident. We are investigating and will report information as available.”

The Ohio director of agriculture, David Daniels, said ride inspectors had not noticed anything out of the ordinary when they conducted their inspections and cleared the Fire Ball for passengers.

Officials said none of the rides would be open until they are all fully inspected.

The Ohio state fair runs until 6 August.