Horrified witnesses describe moment fairground ride ‘rips apart’ catapulting carriage into crowd, with four people including girl, 11, taken to hospital – as major health and safety probe begins

Shocked witnesses have described the moment a fairground ride was ‘torn apart’, catapulting a carriage into the crowd, sending four people, including an 11-year-old girl, to hospital – as a major health and safety investigation begins .

Emergency services were called to the scene at around 6.20pm yesterday during the Lambeth Country Show in Brockwell Park, London.

The injured included an 11-year-old girl, a man in his 50s, another man in his 40s and a woman in her 40s.

Kareen Swaby, 41, had gone to the event for “just a fun family day out” with her loved ones before things took a terrifying turn.

Mrs Swaby witnessed the shocking incident and told MailOnline how she saw a carriage ‘come off its hinges and hit the man in the head’ during a journey.

She stood next to a man who was injured during the ride and said: ‘Blood was pouring from his head. He got back up and just collapsed again. At that moment I didn’t know if he was conscious or not.’

Ms Swaby described how As the situation unfolded, she heard a “little girl screaming at the top of her lungs.”

According to police, emergency services were called to the scene in Brockwell Park today and four people were taken to hospital

Shocked fairgoers told MailOnline how ‘all hell broke loose’ and people screamed and cried after a ride reportedly suffered a catastrophic failure, sending people ‘flying through the air’

According to an eyewitness, the rides stopped shortly after the incident

She added: ‘So I said to her: are you okay? Where are your parents? Your family? Who are you with? She said: that’s my grandfather. My grandfather, that’s him.

“So she screams, he’s on the ground.”

The Metropolitan Police said that ‘investigations are underway to determine the circumstances’ and that ‘the Health & Safety Executive will be notified’.

Other fairgoers told MailOnline how ‘all hell broke loose’ and people screamed and cried after a ride reportedly suffered a catastrophic failure, leaving people ‘flying through the air’.

One person described the scenes as “like a horror movie,” while another added: “People were running towards us crying and screaming.”

An eyewitness added: ‘People were running towards us and crying and screaming… I saw a lady with blood streaming down her face. She was taken away from the ride by paramedics.

“When we left they were putting up higher fences where someone was lying on the ground, they were being attended to by paramedics and the higher fences had black sheets around them and you couldn’t see it so someone was very injured and they gave them privacy. ‘

The witness said the rides stopped shortly after the incident, saying, “I heard someone say someone got off the ride, but I didn’t see it.”

Another eyewitness said: ‘I was told a ride collapsed and all hell broke loose.

‘It was horrible. The screaming was terrible. Four people flew away and went through the air. It looked like a horror movie.’

It is thought the ride that tore it apart was the ‘Froggit’ jump ‘n’ smile roundabout.

A Lambeth Council spokesperson said: ‘The incident was reported at around 6.20pm today and emergency services rushed to the scene to treat four injured people.

“Paramedics and teams on the ground cordoned off the area and the injured were taken to nearby hospitals for further treatment.

Another witness described the shocking incident as ‘a horror scene’

‘The situation is being closely monitored. The area around the attraction is secured and the fair is closed.

‘Extensive investigation is being conducted into the cause of the malfunction.

‘Additional safety inspections are being carried out at all rides and attractions at the fair

‘We thank the emergency services for their quick response and efforts. The safety and well-being of our visitors remains our top priority.”

Lambeth Police said: ‘Emergency services responded to a failed fairground ride at the Lambeth Country Show in Brockwell Park at around 6.20pm on Saturday.

‘Four people have been taken to hospital. We await an assessment of their circumstances. No one is stuck during the ride.”

They added: “Investigations are underway to determine the circumstances. Cordons have been placed at the location. The Health & Safety Executive will be notified.”

Police later added: ‘The four people taken to hospital from Brockwell Park are a man and a woman in their 40s, a man in his 50s and an 11-year-old girl.

‘None of the four are believed to be in a life-threatening condition. We are awaiting the full hospital assessments.”

A spokesperson for the London Ambulance Service said: ‘We were called at 6.18pm today to reports of an incident in Brockwell Park, SE24.

“We have sent multiple resources to the scene, including four paramedics and members of our hazardous area response team. We also sent the London air ambulance.

“We treated four people on scene and took them all to major trauma centers.”