Three people have been left in a critical condition after they fell victim to a malfunctioning theme park ride.
Among them is a 10-year-old girl, after an incident at a magic carpet ride in Belgium that saw the victims fly out of their seats on Sunday, August 13.
The incident occurred in a suburb of Manage in southwest Belgium in the village of La Hestre at the Ducasse fair, with one person understood to now be left in a touch-and-go state.
READ MORE: Boy flung '20ft into air' from fairground ride left with 'significant injuries'
The safety bars of the ride are understood to have malfunctioned, violently throwing the victims from their seats and falling several metres.
Chaotic scenes of horror and panic erupted, as smoke was spotted pouring out from the machine moments before the disaster occurred.
Mayor of Manage, Bruno Pozzoni, said that seven people in total were rendered unconscious and left with injuries.
According to Belgian news programmeRTL Info , the youngest victim is a 10-year-old girl.
She is reported to be in a stable yet serious condition following the incident, which saw her suffer multiple injuries and put her in Saint-Luc Hospital.
Speaking to the channel Mr Pozzoni said: “She is out of danger. It's polytrauma, she is still being followed, but she is out of danger”.
He continued: “One person remains in a worrying state, it is a young girl hospitalised in Tivoli for whom there is a follow-up.
“Three of the victims have been operated on and are in the orthopedic service.
“One is released and one person is in psychological distress and is supported by psychologists to try to reduce his trauma”.
He noted that an investigation into the incident is still ongoing, adding that the fairground will remain open while the investigation works its way through.
Ayor Pozzoni added: “The question arose in-depth, and we felt, in discussions with several specialists, that people should continue to talk about it, not shut themselves up at home and stay on the event.
“That also allows us to meet them and direct them to our listening cell since many witnesses were present.
“A part was taken care of, but in the drama that unfolded, many moved away from the place and today, we try to recover all these witnesses who have suffered psychological trauma”.
Some events at the fair were later said by the mayor to have been cancelled out of respect for the victims, including a firework display.
The Daily Star tried to contact the organisers of the fair for comment.
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