‘We were scared and cold’: children trapped on ride for three hours

A FAMILY was left “cold, hungry and scared” 65ft in the air for three hours after a fairground ride on the South Bank broke down.

Fire crews rescued 19 passengers, including six children, from 10 hanging capsules after the 260ft Starflyer swing-ride suffered a “technical malfunction” yesterday.

After being lowered to the ground, many people were visibly shaken and some were in tears before they were checked by ambulance staff.

Sisters Naima, 10, Aaliya, 12, and Saalihah Kaaynaat, 14, were the last passengers to be rescued. They were lifted to safety with their father at 9.20pm, after boarding at 6pm.

Saalihah said: “I knew something was wrong bec ause when I was standing in the queue waiting to go on the ride I didn’t see it stop mid-air like that. At first, everyone was taking pictures, but when it didn’t start up again I began to get scared.

“To pass the time, my sisters and I started singing songs and dancing in our seats. Everyone cheered each time someone got rescued. Some people were crying even when they got off the ride. Children’s shoes fell off their feet.”

Aaliya said: “I thought the ride had stopped so we could see the view, but we were sat there for hours. I was cold, hungry, scared and needed to go to the toilet. I was happy when we were rescued by the firefighters. I wouldn’t go back on that ride.”

The family, from Peterborough, paid £7.50 each for what was supposed to be a four-minute ride before it stopped. A police cordon was placed around the ride as fire crews erected two aerial platforms which passengers were told to clamber on to before being lowered to safety.

Fire station manager Clive Robinson said: “Crews used an aerial ladder platform to reach people and bring them back down. It was slow work as we needed to access each cage on the ride individually, and ensure they were secure before moving them from the ride.”

Paul Pullan, 46, from Leeds, said: “I heard kids screaming and saw a few people being rescued and taken to the ambulance. One of the parents was crying. People looked frightened and were visibly shaken.” The ride,