The opening evening of the Meifoor did not go smoothly: around 4:15 p.m. four underage girls became stuck on a 20-meter high attraction. One of them informed all the parents and the fire brigade, who eventually got the young ladies back to the ground floor an hour and a half later. “Apologies? We got our 5 euros back.”
Four girls, including two 16-year-olds, enjoyed the opening of the Bruges Meifoor on Friday afternoon. They decided to take a ride on the Heroes tower, an attraction about 20 meters high with rotating swings. But around 4:15 p.m. the attraction suddenly stopped. “There was a strong wind,” said Elle Van Caeneghem (16), one of the four girls who got stuck. “The attraction stopped immediately. After five minutes there was still no movement in the chairs. In the end we called the fire brigade ourselves, because only the police were on site. A girl behind us started to panic, so we also informed her parents.”
What turned out? The wind had triggered the attraction’s safety mechanism. But the operator in the cabin below did not know how to safely lower the swings again. The operator who did know the procedure was not present at the time. He was at another fair. “Upon arrival, we gave the people at the attraction another ten minutes to lower the occupants,” said Jeroen Bonte, post supervisor of the Bruges fire brigade. “Our climbing team then started a rescue operation. We took the girls down in pairs to safety.”
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The Heroes Tower. — © jve
Ultimately, all occupants were freed from their dire situation around 5:45 p.m. They had been stuck for about an hour and a half. “Just to be sure, we also requested an ambulance,” said Bonte. “Because it was very cold upstairs, we wanted to check whether the girls were showing any symptoms of hypothermia.” That ultimately turned out not to be the case. After a short check-up, the young ladies were allowed to continue their evening. In good health, but very impressed.
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16-year-old Elle Van Caeneghem was one of the passengers: “At first I could laugh about it, but after a while a girl in another seat started to panic.” — © JVE
It is doubtful whether the occupants will soon go on an adventure at the fair. They have a nice anecdote. “At first I could laugh about it,” Elle Van Caeneghem continues. “But in the end the attraction remained stuck for a very long time. That’s why I called my mom. I wasn’t really afraid, but it was cold up there.” And apologies from the operators? The girls got that too. “They immediately gave us our 5 euros back for the ride. It’s something,” Elle grins.
The Meifoor is still open until Sunday, May 12.
© JVE