'Massacre' as fairground ride breaks in half

At least 28 people were hurt in Spain early on Saturday in an accident involving a fairground ride.

Local media reported the ride fell apart as it spun around, but it was not clear what caused it to malfunction.

The accident happened in La Rinconada, not far from Seville.

"Everyone was up there and suddenly the ride broke in half," one witness said.

"People tried pushing the button to make it stop, but it didn't stop. People in the other half [of the ride] were screaming for it to stop, but the ride wouldn't stop. It was a massacre, all the kids on the bloodied ground. We assisted them until the ambulances arrived. Everyone helped as much as they could, it was really impressive at the end of the day."

Seville's municipal emergency services said nine of the injured were taken to local hospitals.

La Rinconada's city council said the ride had passed safety inspections.

It added local authorities were investigating what might have caused the malfunction.

APTN