Children flung from spinning fairground ride as Spanish fiesta turns to horror

Families had gathered for one last night of music and fairground rides when an attraction’s door opened while its tilted platform was still spinning. Within minutes, the fair was filled with ambulances and two girls were on their way to hospital with fractures.

The ride door accidentally opened and sent the children flying

Nine people were injured, eight of them minors, in the accident at Tona’s Festa Major in Barcelona province shortly before midnight on Tuesday August 4. The attraction, identified locally as Disco Show, is one of the classic rides that can usually be found in a Spanish feria: an inclined platform that spins relatively fast, forward and backwards, to music. For reasons that have not yet been established, one of its doors opened while the ride was in motion and several young riders were reportedly thrown from it.

The accident happened on the fifth and final night of the town’s summer fair, which had opened on Friday July 31. Tuesday’s rides were scheduled to keep operating until 1am, but the fair instead closed under the lights of emergency vehicles. The ride in question was sealed so that technical experts could examine it, and the remaining attractions at the fairground, beside Tona’s La Canal venue, were also closed after the accident.

Two unlucky girls suffered fractures

Two girls aged 12 and 14 suffered fractures and were taken to Hospital de Vic. Updated information from municipal sources described their condition as less serious and said their lives were not in danger. Three other young people with minor injuries were also taken to the hospital. Four further patients, including the only adult among those injured, were treated at the scene for minor contusions.

Several ambulances from Cataluña’s Medical Emergency System (SEM) attended, together with three fire service units and patrols from the Mossos d’Esquadra regional police and Tona’s local police. Tona Town Council sent its support to those affected and their families and wished them a swift recovery.

Tona required engineering checks before the fair opened

Official council documents show that rides at the 2026 Festa Major were subject to several layers of paperwork and technical checks. Operators had to submit proof of civil liability insurance and an annual review certificate issued by a registered industrial engineer. Once a ride had been installed in Tona, a further engineer’s certificate was required to confirm its safety and structural soundness. The council’s rules also required every attraction to pass a technical inspection covering the correct assembly and operation of its electrical, mechanical and other systems. The resulting certificate had to be filed before 1pm on July 31, and the rules stated that no ride could begin operating without it and the other required documents.

The council has not publicly released the Disco Show’s inspection file or identified any problem with its permissions or certificates.

Why the next feria ride could feel different

Fairground rides are a familiar part of summer fiestas across Spain, particularly for children and teenagers. After Tona, some families may find themselves looking more closely at the safety bar or closed door before a ride begins.

Nothing reported so far suggests a wider problem at Spain’s fairgrounds, and one unexplained failure shouldn’t be treated as evidence that every ride elsewhere is unsafe. This should offer some reassurance, but it does not lessen what happened in Tona. A final night of lights, music and family fun ended with nine people injured, two girls in hospital with fractures and families waiting to understand how the door opened.