Theme park terror as ride snaps in HALF with metal flying nearly killing passengers

Two people have been left hospitalised after a Viking ship ride dramatically broke in half at a funfair.

Witnesses described seeing metal fly through the air towards them after the 'Barca' ride broke down at a fairground set up in Canindé, Ceará, Brazil on Sunday night.

Crews from the local fire department rushed to the scene, with two people requiring treatment in the aftermath while others were left with minor injuries.

Footage showed crowds of people looking on in horror after the ship appeared to snap in the middle, with one half of the ride sticking up directly into the air.

Occupants of the ride could meanwhile be seen exiting carefully after narrowly avoiding being hurt in the impact.

Crowds of people looked on in horror as the ship appeared to snap in the middle (Jam Press)

One half of the ride was left sticking up directly into the air (Jam Press)

One hospitalised victim told local news site G1: “It was horrible! I saw my life flash by in seconds when the metal piece came towards my head. Only those who were there know what we went through.”

The man, a mechanic who asked not to be named, was injured on the arm after raising it to shield him and his girlfriend from an airborne piece of metal.

It then hit him just below the mouth, leaving him to need 12 internal stitches and three external ones, while his partner was also sent to hospital after suffering a blow to the head from the impact.

One witness was hospitalised when he attempted to shield his girlfriend from a flying piece of metal (Jam Press)

It was terrifying scene (Jam Press)

Both were discharged from the hospital on Sunday evening.

Teacher Marly Santos da Silva, 35, who was on the ride with her 19-year-old daughter, her son-in-law and the boy's cousin, described the experience as a "nightmare", adding that she believed "everyone would have died” if the ship had broken while they were in the air.

Some of the group suffered minor injuries to their legs, but did not require any further treatment.

Passengers nearly died (Jam Press)

The fairground was immediately closed by the authorities, who later discovered it did not have a licence to operate, according to local reports.

The fire department said that while paperwork had been submitted, their application had not been finalised and no permit was issued.

The organisers of the fair are now being investigated by the Secretariat of Public Security and Social Defence (SSPDS) for causing wrongful bodily injury.