Late Wednesday night, April 1, 2026, a large 60-foot swing ride collapsed at Bhaisaha Mela, and a festival night that was a celebration of Bhaisaha Mela was paralyzed by a blast caused by the big man-made, loud, chaotic incident at the site with the ride to collapse late Wednesday night when an enormous 60-foot swing ride collapsed.
The disaster took place at night, when the Chaitra Purnima festival was running at Chaitra Purnima, the peak of the festival season that draws thousands of devotees from eastern Uttar Pradesh and nearby Bihar.
A few moments later, the gigantic iron structure crumbled and the huge swing ride and the massive iron frame fell on the ground with the shattering thud of the huge structure in a deafening clang of metal and hundreds of women and children were pinned under it into the mangled metal as they rushed to help.
🚨 Tragic : Swing ride collapse at Bhaisaha Mela in Kushinagar, Uttar Pradesh
— Ramesh Tiwari (@rameshofficial0) April 4, 2026
Shocking : A 60-foot swing ride suddenly collapsed mid-operation late Wednesday night while carrying nearly 80 people.
Around 30–40 people, including women and children, were injured — some in… pic.twitter.com/CYKDPsqHJL
There were 80 people on board and the ride was overloaded with about 80 passengers—nearly twice the safe capacity of the ride. The ride was moving with an alarm at the time, and witnesses said they heard strange, “creaking and grinding noises” as it began to spin on its second rotation.
The police at the mela and the residents began a rescue operation at the moment, but the metal structure was too heavy for them to get through. The district administration sent six ambulances to the site. Khadda MLA Vivekanand Pandey said the victims were first taken to Community Health Centre (CHC) Turkaha for treatment.
"Those who are injured relatively minor are being treated locally and more than a dozen severely injured people, including two children, have been referred to the District Medical College, Gorakhpur," Pandey said. Early investigations by Kushinagar Police indicate that the swing was improperly anchored into the sandy soil near the riverbank, which could not support the load.
A criminal case has been taken against the swing operator and the fair organizers. District authorities are also investigating whether there were proper safety clearances and fitness certificates for the ride before the ride was installed. The incident has cast a shadow on Chaitra Purnima’s events and has raised serious questions about the safety of religious fairs in rural areas.
