'We were having fun... then we just dropped': First words from woman hurt in fairground ride crash

A woman hurt when a Christmas fairground ride in Birmingham crashed to the ground last night has spoken for the first time about her terrifying experience.

A number of people were injured after a fairground ride malfunctioned in Birmingham city centre last night. Police sealed off an area around the Star Flyer ride in Centenary Square. 13 people have been treated for injuries - with two rushed to hospital - after the ride "failed and crashed". Images appear to show seats on the Star Flyer ride tangled together.

West Midlands Fire Service said there were a "number of casualties" with non life-threatening injuries after the ride plummeted to the ground around 7.30pm yesterday. Police have urged people to avoid the area, reports Birmingham Live.

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BBC West Midlands has reported that one of those hurt in the accidents works for the Corporation. Naming her as Lou Brown, from Solihull, the station quoted her as saying she had injured her face, legs and arms, while her friend was also hurt.

The casualty is quoted as saying: "We were on it having fun and it crashed to the ground. It went backwards first. It felt like we were descending, not at the highest point but still quite high. We just dropped."

Adding: "All the emergency services and everyone who helped at the scene were amazing."

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The ride "dropped to ground level while in operation.", reports Birmingham Live. Chains from the ride appeared to be tangled together with the owners opening a probe what went wrong.

Describing the scene, one onlooker said: "It was all the way up there and it fell, the thing fell."

His comments were recorded in a video that also shows the chaotic aftermath of the incident, including members of the public rushing to help those trapped in the "collapsed" structure.

A woman can be heard saying: "The ambulance is on its way," amid shocked exclamations from other witnesses, reports the Mirror.

While one bystander was reportedly heard saying there was "blood on someone's face."