At the Fantasiana adventure park in Straßwalchen (Flachgau), two employees were trapped on one of the park’s attractions on Tuesday afternoon. The two men were carrying out maintenance work inside a “freefall tower” disguised as a castle tower when the accident occurred at a height of seven metres for reasons that are still unknown. Apparently a part had come loose. According to the Red Cross, one person was seriously injured and one person slightly injured.
Ride was out of service
The ride was out of service at the time of the accident and there were no visitors in the area. “After an initial assessment of the situation, we alerted the high-altitude rescue teams from the Salzburg professional fire brigade and the Frankenmarkt and Ried im Innkreis fire brigades in Upper Austria,” said operations manager Martin Beitschek from the Straßwalchen fire brigade.
Photo gallery: Major operation after accident in Fantasiana amusement park
Major operation in the Fantasiana amusement park (Photo: Manfred Fesl (Manfred Fesl)) Bild 1/16
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Rescue in confined spaces
The emergency doctor treated the two trapped trapped Flachgauer aged 25 and 39 at the scene of the accident and prepared them for transport. “In consultation with the high-altitude rescuers, the ride was then lowered centimeter by centimeter using the emergency lowering system in order to free the trapped people bit by bit,” reported Beitschek. “Thank God that went well.” The operation was difficult because the rescue took place in a very small space and it was very hot inside the tower. The two men were taken to hospital. Their lives are not in danger.
In total, more than four dozen firefighters with 13 vehicles, an emergency medical helicopter, several ambulances and a general practitioner were deployed. The labor inspectorate was called in.
Victim not in danger of death
The two injured people are not in danger of death, the theme park said late in the afternoon. They are in close contact with authorities, employees and guests to get an accurate picture of the situation. “However, we can confirm that our guests were never in danger,” they said in a statement.
Video: When you ride the Knights Ride Tower, you plunge a good 20 metres into the depths in free fall
This article was last updated at 19:30.
Location: The amusement park is located not far from the border with Upper Austria:
