A worker has been fatally injured in an accident at a ride at the Oktoberfest. According to initial findings by police, the 52-year-old was on the ground directly in the danger zone when the gondola of the Freefall Tower moved downward at high speed. The employee was struck by the gondola and suffered life-threatening injuries. He was resuscitated and taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries, where he later died.
Investigation underway
The area around the Freefall Tower was cordoned off over a wide area, and a crisis intervention team attended to eyewitnesses and the operators of the ride. Passengers were not in danger at any time. It was unclear on the evening of the incident why the employee had been in an area during the ride's operation where he should not have been. Police are investigating the cause of the accident and asked witnesses who observed the incident to come forward.
Second incident since the weekend
The accident at the Oktoberfest was already the second incident involving a ride this year. Just on Saturday evening, passengers on a stalled spinning carousel had to endure hanging upside down for around two minutes before they could be freed from their seats. The cause of the malfunction was apparently a faulty sensor. Following a fresh inspection by the TÜV technical inspection authority, the carousel was cleared for operation again that same evening.
With information from dpa.
