Seven thrill–seekers spent nearly FOUR HOURS suspended nearly 100ft in the air after the fairground ride they were on ground to a halt.
The “Gigant” pendulum ride, which reaches approximately 50m (164ft) in height, came to a complete standstill shortly after 11 pm on Friday (28 August).
The technical failure left seven people suspended between 28 and 30m (92-98ft) above the ground on the penultimate night of the 2026 Almería Fair in Spain.
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Local Police officers at the La Vega de Acá Fairground cordoned off the area as soon as they became aware of the situation, keeping the crowd that had gathered underneath the ride at a safe distance.
Fear gripped the trapped thrill-seekers when firefighters arrived, and their initial attempts to reach them proved unsuccessful.
Finally, at 1:30 am on Saturday (29 August), the first of the trapped passengers began their descent using a large ladder deployed from a fire engine.
The firefighters, from Almería and the Poniente area, carefully rescued all seven thrill-seekers one by one, as reported by Need To Know.
The operation was complicated by the fact that the ride’s passenger gondola could rotate, meaning that removing each person altered the distribution of weight and could potentially affect the stability of the structure.
The rescue therefore had to be carried out gradually, with firefighters working from different points around the gondola to control its movements and maintain safe conditions at all times.
Eventually, at 3 am, the last trapped passenger reached the ground, bringing the operation to an end with no injuries reported.
But those on the ride were not the only people affected by the malfunction.
Concertgoers watching Mestiza perform at the fairground’s Concert Venue saw the gig cancelled so firefighters could carry out the rescue operation in silence.
A.C.D. Bomberos de Almería said: “Complicated and delicate operation. Congratulations to our colleagues on the work carried out. Thanks to Bomberos del Poniente for their assistance.”
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