Show ride victim was tourist
AAP
An eight-year-old girl flung to her death from a ride at the Royal Adelaide Show was on holiday from Malaysia with her family.
The girl was thrown from the Airmaxx 360 ride just after 12pm on Friday in what one witness described as a shocking scene from a horror movie.
She was rushed to hospital with critical injuries but died a short time later.
Malaysia’s honorary consul in South Australia, Hassan Salleh, told AAP the girl’s family would be offered support.
He said the girl was in Australia on holiday.
SafeWork SA executive director Bryan Russell said the investigation into the death had already started.
“The investigation is expected to take some time given the nature of the incident, number of witnesses involved and technical expertise required,” Mr Russell said on Saturday.
Witness Malinda Dunwoodie, 17, said the girl’s safety harness was still down, but it looked as if she slipped out of her seat.
“She was hanging by her legs off the ride, trying to block herself. She went flying through the air about 10-15 metres up in the air and I started sprinting towards her,” she told told News Corp Australia.
“I was shaking so much, she looked like a doll flying through the air.
“It was so shocking. It was like a horror movie.”
The ride was a new addition for the Royal Adelaide show this year, but it was included at shows in Sydney and Brisbane earlier this year without incident.
Royal Agricultural & Horticultural Society chief executive John Rothwell said all rides at the show were subject to daily checks and a national compliance audit.