Ferris wheel stalls at Hamburg fair, strands 23 riders for three hours

HAMBURG, Germany — A Ferris wheel at the Sommer Dome fair in Hamburg stopped operating late Tuesday due to a technical fault, leaving 23 people stranded at roughly 30 meters for about three hours, German police said. Police and fire crews were dispatched to the site and began work to bring passengers down safely and prevent panic, according to a police spokesperson. The ride was restarted shortly after midnight, and the stranded riders were brought to the ground unharmed without the need for fire department rescue equipment, the spokesperson added. Authorities said they received no reports of injuries or health problems among the passengers. The five-week fair, held at the Heiligengeistfeld venue in the St. Pauli quarter, was originally planned as a four-week event this year but was extended to five weeks and remains open through Sunday. Organizers said the fair drew more than 1.3 million visitors last year.