A merry-go-round accident occurred on the night of Saturday August 5 to Sunday August 6, 2023 in Hérault. It took place at Luna Park in Cap d’Agde, leaving one dead and one injured, according to local media and theAFP. We take stock of the situation.
The mechanism of a seesaw
According to the first elements, quoted by France Blue Herault THE Metropolitan And Midi-Free the mechanism of a giant swing 60 meters high, called “Adrenaline”, gave way.
The two occupants of the carousel were propelled towards one of the pillars of the attraction, specifies in particular the Midi-Free. They “would have hit obstacles during their fall, this attraction consisting of tipping over in the void attached to ropes connected to pillars, causing a pendulum movement” which can go up to 110 km / h, indicated the public prosecutor of Béziers in a press release relayed by theAFP this Sunday.
For now, the reasons for the accident remain unclear. According to local media, the accident took place around two in the morning, when the wind was blowing relatively hard in the department. “Which is very rare in Agde”, explained to theAFP the mayor of the town, Gilles d’Ettore, indicating that gusts of wind could be the cause of the accident.
No municipal decree has been taken in the past to stop this type of carousel in the event of wind, because the question had never arisen in this commune, added Gilles d’Ettore.
two victims
The fall claimed two victims: a 17-year-old teenager and a 19-year-old young woman. The boy could not be revived, despite the intervention of paramedics. The young woman, polytraumatized, was transferred “in absolute urgency” at the Montpellier hospital, underlined the prosecutor in his press release. The two victims are from Agde, according to the Metropolitan.
Four people in custody
A judicial investigation was immediately opened in flagrante by the Béziers prosecutor’s office on the counts of homicide and involuntary injuries. “In order to immediately collect the first statements from the people in charge of this attraction, four men, including the manager of Luna Park, were taken into custody at three in the morning. They are currently being heard by investigators,” also explained the prosecutor in his press release.
This Sunday morning, Luna Park was closed and the perimeter cordoned off by the police, according to theAFP.
Previous accidents in the park
As reminded Free lunch And France Blue Herault, several accidents have already occurred in the past in this amusement park. In 2019, a 50-year-old was injured after being ejected from a high-speed carousel. Same scene in 2018, with two 13-year-old teenagers.
In 2015, a spectacular accident was filmed by holidaymakers: a rubber band from a ball thrown into the air several tens of meters had dropped, injuring one.
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