Three girls were injured when they fell from a Ferris wheel in Cambodia.

Khon Rasmey, 15, Sut Makara, 15, and Duch Sreymom, 14, were ascending on the rickety fairground ride when their gondola was dislodged and plummeted to the ground.

The rusty cabin with the girls still inside landed on grass in Trok Thom village in Svay Rieng province, at around 9 pm local time on January 23.

Rescue teams arrived and rushed them to the Svay Chrum District Referral Hospital with serious injuries. They have been kept in for observation.

District police chief Som Sophon said: 'We received a report that there was a Ferris wheel accident in the Svay Thom Commune. We went to the scene to investigate and conduct investigations.'

A fairgoer claimed one of the Ferris wheel's screws had come undone, causing the gondola to fall.

Ferris wheel operator Pol Sa Vuen, 42, and his wife, Ham Srey Deung, 39, were summoned to the district police station for questioning.

The couple allegedly confessed they had bought and installed the fairground equipment without permission on January 21 to make money during a festival. They charged 3,000 KHR (0.74 USD) per customer.

Pol said: 'My wife and I only wanted to earn extra income. We did not expect such an incident to happen.

'I am sorry for what has happened. I have apologized to the families of the children.'

Authorities said the case was being investigated.