Nearly two dozen riders were suspended in mid-air after a malfunction on a fairground ride.
Videos by Wide Open Country
The Sky Swing, a 200-foot traveling carnival ride, experienced a system error that caused the machine to stop mid-operation, leaving 19 riders dangling high above the ground. The incident occurred on Sunday at the annual Irish Festival, which attracts thousands of visitors.
Local media company Love Belfast posted a
Facebook video of the incident, where 19 riders are shown stuck in mid-air.The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) confirmed to PEOPLE that they received a call about the incident at around 3:14 p.m. local time. "NIFRS attended this incident; however, no action was required," NIFRS said in a statement. Four rescue teams responded to the scene.
Belfast City Council said in a statement to PEOPLE that the council does not own the Sky Swing. Instead, it is run by a third-party organization.
This funfair is not part of the official Fleadh programme and is not operated by the council."
"However, as the safety and wellbeing of all visitors to Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann is our top priority, we have raised this incident with the operators to ensure the safety of visitors to their attraction," the council stated.
Fair Ride Froze For Nearly 40 Minutes
G Force Amusements, which operates the 200-foot ride, told Belfast Telegraph that the ride stopped after it detected a "system fault."
After being stuck in mid-air for nearly 40 minutes, all riders were safely evacuated.
"We are pleased to confirm that all 19 passengers were safely returned to ground level. And were in good spirits following the incident," G Force Amusements said.
Six Flags Experienced a Similar Malfunction
A similar incident occurred at Six Flags Over Georgia in June.
Due to a "technical delay," park visitors, including children, were left stranded atop the Skyscreamer, which stands 260 feet.
Content creator David Early told WSB-TV that he and a friend were on the SkyScreamer when the ride unexpectedly stopped, leaving them airborne for roughly 10 minutes.
Amid the chaos, Early was able to stay relatively level-headed. His friend, however, grew worried.
"She did start panicking and getting scared and cry. I just started praying to God, Jesus Christ to be exact," Early said.
"They [were] all just crying. I was praying to Jesus, making sure that everything is going to be okay," he said.
Following a 10-minute delay, Six Flags operators got the machine working again, and all passengers exited safely on the ground.
