[chris]

A flying swing ride dropped from height at a scenic park in Shaoyang County, Hunan Province, China, on February 13, 2021, the second day of the Lunar New Year holiday.

The ride carried 18 gondolas on a rotating carousel that lifts about 30 meters up a central tower. It was turning at height when the assembly fell to the ground while still spinning. Riders were thrown against the ground and people standing below were struck by the ride and its debris.

Sixteen people were injured, three of them seriously. Nobody was killed. A county spokesman said a switch failed at the moment of the accident and that the ride had been inspected shortly before the holiday with nothing found wrong. Investigators said early on that human factors had largely been ruled out and pointed to the electrical control system.

The park was closed while market regulators and tourism officials investigated. A formal county investigation report followed in October 2021.