--- title: "Horrifying Video Shows Amusement Park Ride Breaking Apart Mid-Ride" description: "Terrifying video footage going viral on social media shows an amusement park ride splitting in half and collapsing in western Saudi Arabia. The video shows the \"360 Big Pendulum\" ride failing dramatically, sending passengers crashing to the ground. As ABC News reports, the incident occurred in city of Taif, roughly 2.5 drive east of Jeddah. More than 20 people were injured, forcing the entire amusement park, the Green Mountain Resort, to close. Local officials have since started an investigation. It's unclear how many of the victims had to be hospitalized. According to USA Today, three people were critically injured. A […]" date: "2025-08-01" modified: "2025-08-01" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/horrifying-video-amusement-park-ride-breaking" categories: - "Robots and Machines" tags: - "Saudi Arabia" - "the digest" - "theme park" --- # Horrifying Video Shows Amusement Park Ride Breaking Apart Mid-Ride ![Terrifying video footage going viral on social media shows an amusement park ride splitting in half and collapsing in western Saudi Arabia.]() *\Image: east2west news via X\* ## Snapped in Half Terrifying video footage going viral on social media shows an amusement park ride splitting in half and collapsing in western Saudi Arabia. The video shows the "360 Big Pendulum" ride failing dramatically, sending passengers crashing to the ground. As [*ABC News* reports](), the incident occurred in the city of Taif, roughly a 2.5-hour drive east of Jeddah. More than 20 people were injured, forcing the entire amusement park, Green Mountain Resort, to close temporarily. Local officials have since started an investigation. It's unclear how many of the victims had to be hospitalized. According [to *USA Today*](), three people were critically injured. The horrific incident may be hard to watch — but fortunately, according to experts, the chances of being involved in something similar remain extremely low. https://twitter.com/Channel4News/status/1950966029393261010 ## Safety First It's exceedingly rare for amusement park rides to fail and cause injuries, at least in the US. According to the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions, the "chance of being seriously injured on a fixed-site ride at a US amusement park is 1 in 15.5 million rides taken." Deaths are even more rare, but not unprecedented. A [rollercoaster derailment]() at Sweden's oldest amusement park caused one woman in her 30s to plunge to her death, while two others received serious injuries. There have also been sporadic [reports]() of [explosions](), [heart attacks](), [electrocutions](), and [fires]() on amusement park rides. So while the graphic footage may have you thinking twice about going back to an amusement park, the chances of something bad happening are still astronomically low. "Incidences that are extremely severe are very rare in our industry," Jim Seay, president of attractions manufacturer Premier Rides, told [*USA Today* in 2023](), explaining that they draw attention "because it is so rare." **More on theme park disasters:** *[Water Park Explodes]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()