A blaze has broken out on a ferris wheel, leaving ‘more than 30 people injured’ at a huge music festival in Germany.
The fairground attraction caught fire at around 9pm CET this evening at the Highfield Festival in Leipzig – which attracts 30,000 people every year.
There were still passengers onboard the ferris wheel as it went up in flames, according to eyewitnesses.
Police spokeswoman Josephin Sader told German news outlet BILD: ‘The fire broke out in one gondola for reasons still unknown and then spread to a second one.
‘There are more than 30 injured, most of them slightly – including four police officers. Two people were seriously injured. There were no fatalities.’
A carriage on the ferris wheel on fire at Highfield Festival in Leipzig
Black smoke billows out of one of the upper-most carriages as festival-goers watch on
More than 30 people have been injured in the fire and are receiving treatment in hospital
A statement from the festival said: ‘Those affected are receiving treatment and are doing well considering the circumstances.
‘We are in close coordination with the fire brigade, the police and the rescue and medical services.
‘We will cordon off the ferris wheel accordingly and then continue operations as planned.’
German rapper Ski Aggu was onstage at the time of the fire.
He saw black smoke billowing out of one of the upper-most carriages and commented on it before stopping his show entirely.
In a statement on Instagram, he wrote of his ‘dismay and shock’ over what happened.
He said: ‘I was only told in my ear that I should not cancel the show under any circumstances but should first remain in dialogue with you so that there is no mass panic.
‘For me, the priority was that the situation did not escalate further, which fortunately also worked.
‘Thank you for staying so calm and possibly preventing worse.
‘The decisive factor for this was above all the work of the rescue workers, who reacted so quickly and thus prevented the worse.’
The cause of the fire is still unknown.
With dozens of firefighters onsite, the blaze has been extinguished and the festival has resumed.
‘The show must go on,’ a festival organiser announced at around 10pm CET.
Highfield Festival is in its 15th year and is due to welcome 54 artists and bands over the weekend including American rapper Macklemore who is famous for the song Thrift Shop.
This is a breaking news story. More to follow.