“Neeche kar jhula (Bring down the ferris wheel)”, shouted someone from the ground.
“Arey Ram Ram (Ram Ram)”, shrieked another as a chorus of concern and appeals went up.
This scene played out at a fair in Uttar Pradesh when a 13-year-old girl was spotted dangling from a 60-foot high ferris wheel. After a few heart-stopping moments, and some quick thinking on the part of the operator, the teenager was safely rescued.
The incident, which took place on Wednesday, was reported from Rakehti village in the Nighasan area of Lakhimpur Kheri, nearly 130 km from state capital Lucknow.
As the swing suddenly started moving, she lost her balance and slipped out of her gondola. She was seen hanging on to an iron rod. Shrieks went up. She was stuck on it for a minute, before the operator managed to get the girl down.
Sub District Magistrate Rajiv Nigam said that the girl, who has not been identified, is safe.
The operators did not have the permission to run the giant ferris wheel at the fair. The authorities said an investigation will reveal how the swing was operating without permission.
(With inputs from Prateek Srivastava)