Riyadh: At least 23 people were injured, four of them critically, when a high-adrenaline amusement park ride in Saudi Arabia suffered a catastrophic failure, sending its carousel plummeting to the ground in a shocking incident that was caught on camera.

The incident occurred on Wednesday at an amusement park in Taif, located in the southwest of Saudi Arabia. The ride, known as "360 Degrees," broke apart mid-swing, with the towering structure's central arm visibly snapping in two, causing the entire rotating platform to crash from a height.

Chilling video footage circulating on social media captures the moment. In the clip, riders are seen swinging through the air when a sharp cracking noise pierces the atmosphere. The ride's core support structure then splits abruptly, sending the spinning carriage hurtling downwards in a violent collapse. Screams of terror and desperate prayers echo in the background.

Emergency response teams acted quickly, providing first aid on-site before transporting the injured to nearby hospitals for further treatment. According to Saudi-owned Al Arabiya, the amusement park has been shut down indefinitely as investigators work to determine the cause of the failure.

The horrific accident comes at a time when Saudi Arabia is expanding its entertainment and tourism sector as part of its broader Vision 2030 economic diversification strategy. Among its so-called giga-projects is Qiddiya near Riyadh, billed as an "entertainment city" of theme parks and a motorsports racetrack.
With AFP inputs