12 April 2004 15:23
Moscow carousel crash injures 16
At least 16 people were injured when a carousel crashed to the ground in a north Moscow amusement park Sunday, park staff and rescue workers have said. According to rescue workers, 13 people were hospitalized — five with broken bones, and at least one with a broken back. One woman is said to be in critical condition, two others are seriously injured.
According to police, at about 7:20 p.m. Moscow time Sunday a ride in the Lianozovo amusement park, a high-speed carousel, collapsed to the ground after a hydraulic mechanism broke when the carousel was rising. Although the causes of the accident are said to be technical, RIA Novosti has reported that a criminal case has been launched. “This is the first accident in our park,” park director Andrei Mikheyev told MosNews. “We haven’t seen anything like this before.”
He added that experts have been summoned to determine the cause of the accident and to examine all the other amusement rides, although all the rides have been certified through 2006. Mikheyev said he does not rule out the possibility that the park will be closed for reconstruction after the experts issue their decision.
Meanwhile, he said that a meeting will be held today to determine what compensation will be given to the victims.
Moscow authorities have registered other such accidents in the city’s amusement parks. In the past 10 years, 23 deaths have been registered in amusement parks. The deadliest ride was the “Surprise” — the same carousel that broke down Sunday.
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