6 Kids Injured in Electric Shock on Amusement Park Ride

Six children were injured by electric shocks Tuesday on an amusement park ride in Connecticut, authorities said.

The victims, whose ages were unclear, were suddenly struck by electricity on a ride at Ocean Beach Park in New London, Ct. shortly before 2 p.m., police said in a statement. NBC Connecticut said the victims were riding the Scrambler, which is temporarily closed. The ride’s operator told police he felt a “tingling” sensation when he was pressing the button to stop the ride, according to NBC.

The victims suffered “various degrees of electrical shock,” but none of the injuries appeared to be serious, according to authorities. The worst injury was “small burns” one of the children received on the palms of his hands from touching a metal railing when he was getting off the ride, New London Deputy Police Chief Peter Reichard told WTNH-TV.

All of the victims were taken to the hospital. The cause of the electric surge is under investigation. Ocean Beach Park said in a statement to ABC News that it “will continue to work closely to find out the answer.”

The amusement park incident follows the death of a 10-year-old boy on the world’s tallest water slide in Kansas earlier this month. The tragedy prompted calls for change in the amusement park industry, which advocates say lacks federal oversight and data tracking.

[ABC]