2 girls injured after falling from Ferris wheel at Louisiana festival

Two young girls were injured when they fell from a Ferris wheel at a festival in Louisiana, according to officials.

The accident occurred around noon on Saturday at the Pointe Coupee Harvest Festival in the city of New Roads, in Pointe Coupee Parish, northwest of Baton Rouge, according to Sheriff Rene Thibodeaux.

Both victims, who are under the age of 13, were ejected from a carriage while a third girl in the same carriage was rescued by first responders.

One of the girls sustained serious injuries and was airlifted to a hospital in Baton Rouge, while the other, who suffered “major” injuries, was transported by ambulance, according to Thibodeaux.

Footage from the scene showed police aiding one of the victims near the base of the Ferris wheel, where the carriage was visibly tilted and a girl clung to its side.

All festival rides were temporarily shut down for inspection by the Louisiana State Fire Marshal, according to local news outlet Pointe Coupee Banner. The cause of the accident was not immediately clear.