WASHINGTON, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- "Excessive corrosion" caused the Fire Ball ride collapse which killed one person with seven injured in U.S. state Ohio last month, the manufacturer said Sunday.
All rides at the Ohio State Fair in Columbus were closed down following 18-year-old Tyler Jarrell was killed after the Fire Ball ride broke apart while in motion on July 26.
An investigation at the scene determined that "excessive corrosion on the interior of the gondola support beam dangerously reduced the beam's wall thickness over the years", KMG International, the manufacturer of the amusement park ride, said in a statement.
"This finally led to the catastrophic failure of the ride during operation," the statement said.
The ride, though 18 years old, had passed multiple inspections before the incident, according to local media reports. It consists of at least six rows of seats that spin around 40 feet above the ground as the entire structure moves like a pendulum.
"It's been looked at about three or four times over the course of two days," Michael Vartorella, chief ride inspector for Ohio's Division of Amusement Ride Safety, said in July.
The manufacture said it has collaborated with "industry safety experts to develop an inspection protocol" to prevent future accidents from occurring.
There have been 22 fatalities associated with riders of amusement attractions across the United States since 2010, according to a CNN report.
