Oktoberfest revellers briefly left hanging upside down on ride

Visitors to a fairground ride at Munich's Oktoberfest were left hanging upside down for around five minutes on the first day of the renowned annual beer festival, the attending ambulance service said, reported dpa.

The incident on Saturday left several people, particularly younger visitors, complaining of mild dizziness and circulatory problems, the Aicher Ambulanz Union said on Saturday evening. They were all able to rejoin the festivities after a brief examination, the service said.

A spokesman for the Munich fire brigade's festival unit said a technical fault had caused the spinning ride to stop.

According to the fire brigade, an expert inspected the ride and cleared it for use again that same evening.

The ambulance service said it had treated nearly 600 patients on the first day of the 191st Oktoberfest.

The festival, known locally as the Wiesn, opened shortly after 9 am (0700 GMT) on Saturday. The first guests, who had been waiting in the dark outside since the early hours of the morning, rushed to secure seats in the beer tents when the gates opened.

The world's largest beer festival runs for 16 days until October 4, featuring beer tents, fairground rides, traditional Bavarian food and live music.