Revellers spend New Year stuck 50 metres up at French funfair

RENNES: It was only supposed to last a few minutes for a thrill on New Year's Eve, but eight French people ended up spending the night stuck high up in the air on a giant funfair ride. "It was long, it was cold and it was frightening," said 23-year-old Antoine, wrapped in a survival blanket around dawn Tuesday. "I never thought I'd get out. It was very traumatic," he said after the fire brigade brought an end to the nine-hour ordeal in the Brittany city of Rennes. Five teenagers, Antoine and two other adults had climbed aboard the 52-metre metal arm called "BomberMaxxx" for a spin above the town centre during the evening. "We saw sparks, heard a big metal noise and feared the worst," said Beatrice, mother of 13-year-old Louna. The ride's owner Alexandre Thinel said "a new part broke and it blocked". "It's a technical incident that has never happened before.