In Orenburg, a carousel at the Örenpark amusement park collapsed during the next round, injuring around twenty people, including several children. Emergency responders arrived quickly and began triage on site, transporting the wounded to nearby medical facilities for treatment.
The incident prompted a coordinated response from regional health authorities. The Ministry of Health reported that twelve individuals were hospitalized, among them six children. Three patients are in serious condition. The remaining eight received outpatient care or were kept under observation in hospital wards as needed.
Two patients were admitted to intensive care units. One is a 10-year-old child, and the other is a 27-year-old woman whose condition is described as extremely serious due to multiple injuries. The rest of the admitted patients were placed in trauma wards in moderate condition for ongoing management.
During a press briefing, Tatyana Savinova, the Health Minister for the Orenburg Region, confirmed that the 27-year-old woman in intensive care will undergo a surgical procedure. She also noted a 10-year-old girl awaiting neurosurgery, highlighting the severity of injuries among the younger patients. The medical team has activated telemedicine consultations with specialists from federal centers to ensure comprehensive care, with the Federal Center for Disaster Medicine coordinating the assistance flow to the victims.
Eyewitness accounts suggest some residents transported victims to hospitals on their own, bypassing ambulance services. Officials say this could affect the final victim count as checks continue. The authorities also reported that the first two resuscitation vehicles reached the scene within six minutes, and a total of ten ambulances were deployed to the park to support the response effort.
emergency reasons
Officials in Orenburg attribute the collapse to a malfunction in the carousel mechanism. City authorities stated that the stands failed due to a fault in the carousel system, with a specific breakdown in the mechanism cited as the primary cause of the disaster.
The mayor, Sergei Salmin, pointed out that the concessionaire responsible for ride safety faces serious questions. City leadership indicated that experts will assess the actions of the maintenance team and everyone involved. Depending on the findings, the concession agreement could be terminated to prevent future incidents.
SC control
The Investigative Committee of Russia has opened a preliminary check under Article 238 of the Criminal Code, which concerns the provision of unsafe services, as part of the ongoing inquiry. Investigators stated that the review will examine production, storage, transportation, or sale of goods and services that fail to meet safety requirements, alongside related operations performed by the parties involved.
“Children and adults suffer”
Reaction from regional leaders has been sharp. Senator Elena Afanasyeva from the Orenburg region criticized the situation, saying the city faces a complete breakdown in process control. Afanasyeva described the condition as a disgrace and suggested personnel changes to address systemic failures, emphasized through a Telegram post. She underscored that accidents impacting both children and adults occur frequently in the city, urging urgent accountability and a rapid investigation to determine readiness of the attraction for the season, the validity of safety checks, and the individuals who signed relevant documents.
Officials and observers alike stress the need for careful, transparent inquiry into all stages of this incident. The focus remains on safeguarding the public and ensuring that amusement venues operate under strict safety standards, with the aim of preventing a recurrence and preserving public trust in local safety governance.