(The Hill) — Two gondolas on a Ferris wheel caught fire in eastern Germany Saturday night, injuring more than a dozen people, German news agencies reported Sunday.
The incident occurred when one of the gondolas on a Ferris wheel at the Highlands Festival on Lake Stromthaler near the city of Leipzig caught fire on Saturday night, before spreading to a second gondola, German Press Agency reported Sunday, citing local police.
German Press Agency initially reported that at least 23 people were injured in the accident, including four with burns and one injured in a fall. The agency said late Sunday that 16 of the injured, including emergency workers and at least four police officers, were being examined in hospital for possible smoke inhalation.
As of Sunday, none of the injuries were life-threatening, the department said.
Police told media that a total of 65 people were treated in connection with the fire, but did not provide further details about the casualties.
A criminal investigation has been launched following the incident, with police trying to determine how the accident, which destroyed two gondolas, happened. The fire scene has been sealed off, according to the German Press Agency.
German rapper Ski Agu was performing on stage at the festival when the Ferris wheel caught fire, and afterwards he said in an Instagram story that he was “dismayed” and “shocked” by the incident.
“I am absolutely shocked and upset that the Ferris wheel caught fire during my show at the Highfields,” the rapper said in an Instagram post. “I was simply told through my earpiece that under no circumstances should the show be cancelled, but to continue to have discussions with you all first to avoid mass panic.”
“The priority was to prevent the situation from getting any worse, and fortunately that worked,” he added.
A fire spokesman told the German press agency that the fire was put out 30 minutes after it started.
