• U.S.

Three Girls Amazingly Survive 45-Ft. Fall From Ferris Wheel

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Three girls who fell up to 45 ft. from a Ferris wheel at a country fair in Greeneville, Tenn., on Monday have survived.

The children, who are aged 16 and under, were rushed to hospital by helicopter and ambulance after the basket carrying them flipped over and struck another, causing them to fall between 35 and 45 ft., WBIR reports.

“It was like watching water pouring from a glass,” Gregory Lynthacum of Washington County, Tenn., who witnessed the incident, told WJHL. “They bounced off the metal bridging of the ride and eventually hit the ground.”

One of the girls suffered a head injury and was taken to intensive care, but authorities said during a press conference Monday evening that all the children were “fine” and alert.

In a statement online, the organizers of the Greene County Fair said: “All rides have been shut down until further notice. Safety crews and agencies were on site and responded immediately. Please keep these families in your prayers.”

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Write to Kate Samuelson at kate.samuelson@time.com