Ferris wheel catches fire at music festival in Germany
Dozens suffered mostly mild injures, but two were seriously hurt, according to reports, when two cars on the ride burst into flames at the Highfield Festival near Leipzig Saturday night. (Credit: TikTok/ @nervdieleudenicht)
A Ferris wheel at a festival near Leipzig, Germany, caught fire Saturday evening, leading to multiple injuries, according to reports.
More than two dozen people were injured in the fire, two seriously, the European country’s taxpayer-funded broadcaster, DW, reported, citing police and the German Red Cross.
Most of the injuries involved mild smoke inhalation, according to DW, and four police officers were among the injured.
Four people also had burns, and one person was hurt in a fall, France’s AFP news agency said.
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Flames can be seen on a Ferris wheel at the Highfield Festival in Germany. (Str./picture alliance via Getty Images)
“Those affected are receiving treatment and are doing well considering the circumstances,” the Highfield music festival said in a statement, according to Britain’s Sky News. “We are in close coordination with the fire brigade, the police and the rescue and medical services.”
Photos and videos showed flames rising and smoke billowing from two of the Ferris wheel’s cars.
The cause of the fire is not yet known.
Visitors to the Highfield Festival watch as the Ferris wheel continues to burn. (Str./picture alliance via Getty Images)
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German rapper Ski Aggu, who was performing when the fire broke out, took to his Instagram story to say he was shocked and dismayed about the fire, adding he hoped everyone affected would be better soon.
Most of those injured suffered from smoke inhalation, according to reports. (Str./picture alliance via Getty Images)
“For me, the priority was that the situation did not escalate further, which fortunately also worked,” he wrote in German. “Thank you for staying so calm and possibly preventing worse.”
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Around 18 of the victims were taken to a hospital, Sky News reported, adding that performances continued about an hour after the fire started with the Ferris wheel remaining closed.
