AUTHORITIES yesterday declared rides at Shanghai Happy Valley and the Jinjiang Amusement Park safe after inspections sparked by the death of a teenage girl in Fengdu County in Chongqing last Friday.

The 13-year-old was thrown from a ride known as “Space Travel” at the Zhaohua Park, in which carriages carrying riders spin 360 degrees on a giant wheel rotating vertically at the same time.

Her safety belt snapped, and she hit a fence as she fell from a considerable height on the 15 yuan (US$2.20) ride. Some reports say the safety bar had not been properly secured.