This is the terrifying moment a Ferris wheel full of passengers went haywire at a carnival.

The attraction started spinning out of control and jolting back-and-forth at the show in Sakon Nakhon, Northeastern Thailand, on Sunday night (September 20).

Footage shows how the panicked operator climbed onto the 40ft high machine to try and bring it under control.

He's seen in the video scampering between the metal bars while trying to use his body weight to stop the movement back and forth.

Fairground-goers clung onto their gondolas as the normally placid ride changed into a white-knuckle rollercoaster.

The 'carnie' eventually managed to help bring the ride to a stop. He blamed a rainstorm earlier in the evening for interfering with the electricity cables.

Onlooker Graze Ze said there were no injuries from the fairground ride malfunction.

She said: ''The Ferris wheel started going backward then forward. When it first happened nobody knew if it was part of the ride. People realised it was a problem and it was pretty scary for those who were stuck on there.''