Terrifying Moment Giant Pendulum Ride Snaps in Half Mid-Air at Saudi Arabian Theme Park, Plunging Screaming Passengers to the Ground and Leaving 23 Injured

Screams of pure terror filled the night air as a packed thrill ride at a popular Saudi Arabian amusement park catastrophically failed, its massive central arm snapping clean in two while swinging at speed and sending the passenger-laden gondola crashing violently toward the ground.

Dramatic footage that has circulated widely on social media captures the chilling sequence at Green Mountain Park in the Al-Hada area of Taif. The brightly illuminated 360 Big Pendulum ride — a towering pendulum attraction that swings riders in a wide, high-speed arc on a circular carousel — is seen swinging back and forth with dozens of passengers strapped into their seats. Suddenly, a sickening cracking sound rings out. The main structural arm fractures, the passenger section smashes into the opposite side of the structure, and the entire gondola comes hurtling down with a thunderous impact.

Riders remain secured in their harnesses as the platform collapses, but the force of the failure and the recoiling metal components left many injured. State media and local reports confirmed that at least 23 people were hurt, three of them critically. Emergency teams from civil defence and the Saudi Red Crescent rushed to the scene, treating some victims on site before rushing others to nearby hospitals. No fatalities were reported.

Taif’s governor, Prince Saud bin Nahar bin Saud bin Abdulaziz, ordered the park's immediate closure as a full investigation into the structural failure began. Eyewitnesses described chaotic scenes of panic as the ride, which had been operating normally moments earlier, disintegrated in front of horrified onlookers.

The shocking video, originally recorded in late July 2025, has resurfaced online, once again highlighting the raw horror of the moment the attraction’s arm gave way high above the fairground floor. Authorities have not yet released a final determination on the cause of the collapse.