Joy Ride Turns Cry Ride: Giant Wheel Gets Stuck Midway at Delhi Ramlila Fair; 20 Rescued | Watch

In a terrifying turn of events, a giant wheel at a Dussehra fair (mela) in Delhi’s Narela stopped midway while carrying people. The Delhi Fire Services said that 20 people were rescued from the giant wheel.

Rescuers said that the situation at the fair was chaotic, adding that the people who were stuck were screaming for help, a Times of India report said. The Ferris wheel had to be physically moved with the help of ropes in order to rescue the trapped people.

After tying the ropes on the sides, firefighters moved the swing and deboarded the people one by one.

Visuals from this scary incident show the Ferris wheel stopped midway with people standing on the railings attached to the wheel.

The fire department was called for help in Narela’s Subhash Ramlila Maidan at around 11:10 pm on Wednesday, the report added. “Two fire tenders were sent to the scene, and it was found that 20 people were trapped in the wheel. We had also brought an aerial ladder platform, but were unable to use it due to the presence of electricity wires,” an officer said.

The officer also said that the scene of the incident was congested as people present at the fair were further crowding the area.

The firefighters — led by fire station in-charge Nitin Joon — tied ropes to the either sides of the giant wheel and slowly began moving it. One by one, people were deboarded from the cabins of the Ferris wheel, the officer said, adding that the whole rescue operation was completed within an hour. Four men, 12 women, and four children were successfully rescued and no injuries were reported.

The rescued persons did not speak as they were still in shock from the incident, another officer said. Atul Garg, Director of Delhi Fire Services, said that the usage of rope was a smart move on the firefighters’ part, leading to the safe rescue of everyone.

“Some of the rescuers had gone to the upper side of the swing and tied rope,” police said, adding that they are checking whether people other than the 20 rescued ones, went down the wheel on their own using the iron railings.

Ravi Kumar, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outer North) said that the ferris wheel’s swing malfunctioned and got stuck. “It happened due to a technical glitch as two trollies of the giant wheel tilted to one side and stopped spinning,” Kumar said.

Reportedly, a case was registered under the Indian Penal Code sections 287 (negligent conduct with respect to machinery) and 336 (act endangering the life or personal safety of others). The DCP said that the giant wheel section has been sealed off and an intimation has also been sent to the Municipal Corporation Department (MCD) and licensing department for necessary actions from their side.

An MCD official said that a performance license for the fair was issued by the Delhi Police. “MCD reports on the working condition of the joy rides after inspection, and the organisers have to check these rides on a daily-basis and carry out their maintenance activity before the ride services begin. This helps prevent any untoward incidents during the fair,” the official noted.

After this incident, the official said that they have been instructed to reinspect all the joyrides at the fair, following which a report will be submitted to the Delhi Police.