At the Green Mountain Park amusement park in the city of Taif, located in southwestern Saudi Arabia, a serious accident occurred. On Wednesday, July 30, 2025, one of the swing-type carousels, known as „360 degrees”, suddenly malfunctioned and broke into two parts during a ride in progress.
What happened to the carousel?
The central pillar of the carousel snapped, and the entire structure came crashing down from a height of several meters. As a result of the incident, 23 people were injured, including at least three who suffered serious injuries and were in critical condition.
The available video footage captures a sudden crack and bang, followed by screams from terrified witnesses and passengers. One of the detached parts of the carousel struck both those on the ride and people standing nearby. Rescue and security services quickly arrived at the scene, provided first aid to the injured and transported them to nearby hospitals.
Local authorities, including the governor of the Taif region, decided on a temporary closure of the amusement park for the duration of the investigation. The probe aims to determine the exact cause of the malfunction. Preliminary unofficial information points to possible wear of construction materials or failure of a key load-bearing component of the carousel. It is also being checked whether the device had up-to-date technical inspections and whether the park’s staff were negligent.
This accident is one of the more serious incidents at amusement parks in recent months, recalling similar tragedies in other countries, where malfunctions led to severe injuries and deaths of participants.
