This is the shocking moment five fairgoers were flung to the ground and injured when a ride operator forgot to lock their safety bars.

The four children and one adult, aged 34, were seated on the 'crazy wave' ride when they were ejected shortly after it started moving on Friday evening in Krabi, southern Thailand.

Paramedics rushed all five victims to the hospital and the older woman was treated for a broken arm and broken pelvis while the youngsters, all aged between 10 and 15, were released to recover at home.

Police are now questioning the owner Chaiyot Praphan, 50, after he claimed that one of his staff had forgotten to lock the safety barrier on the middle carriage.

Lieutenant colonel Chatchai Nakpaksi said: 'The injured woman still needs treatment at the hospital. We will wait for her medical certificate before she can file an allegation against the owner.

'The owner of the ride has accepted his negligence and agreed to pay all of the hospital bills of the victims. We are also checking whether it is a criminal offense under any laws.'

Local government officials and police visited the fairground ride on Saturday morning, November 19, to check the equipment.

They found that there were no mechanical problems and blamed human error for the accident after the owner said his staff had not dropped the safety catch on a bar holding in revellers in the middle row of seats. Two other people sitting on a separate row were unharmed as their safety bar was locked.

Officers also checked the paperwork and found that the council had granted the owner a permit to operate the ride following earlier safety checks.

Krabi province Governor Puttipong Sirimat said: 'We have ordered the owner to be more careful when operating the rides at the event.

'Now he has agreed to fully take care of all the injured and their costs according to the suitability of each case. He visited all the injured people in hospital shortly after the accident.'