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ANGELS CAMP, Calif. - A carnival ride at the annual fair celebrating the popular Calaveras County jumping frog contest in northern California collapsed, injuring all 24 people aboard, authorities said.

Enlarge Photo

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS/Tri-City Herald,Paul T.Erickson, FILE

This 1999 file photo shows the carnival ride, called the Yo-Yo, similar to the one which collapsed Friday injuring all 24 people aboard at the Calaveras County Fair and Jumping Frog Jubilee, about 130 kilometres southeast of Sacramento.

Three were airlifted to hospitals in Modesto and Sacramento, but the extent of the injuries was not immediately known, said Sgt. Dave Seawell, a spokesman for the Calaveras County Sheriff's Department.

Most of the riders were children, and all were injured, he said.

The carnival ride, called the Yo-Yo, collapsed Friday evening at the Calaveras County Fair and Jumping Frog Jubilee, about 130 kilometres southeast of Sacramento.

The ride has metal arms, each with a seat at the end attached by a chain, that swing outward as the ride picks up speed. The arms rise and fall as they spin around a center pole, putting the seats horizontal to the ground.

The pole apparently collapsed, causing the arms to crash back toward the centre, said Dennis Townsend, a chief in the Calaveras County unit of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Prevention.

"The mechanism that lifts the people is the one that collapsed," he said.

The riders were hurt when their seats struck the ground or other parts of the machine, he said. Authorities could not immediately determine what might have caused the accident.

He did not know whether anyone on the ground was injured.

The fair remained open after the accident, but the carnival area had been shut down, said Laurie Giannini, the fairground's marketing director.

The Calaveras County Fair and Jumping Frog Jubilee opened Wednesday and is held each year in late May. It was inspired by a Mark Twain story, "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County," which focuses on a character and his jumping frog, named Dan'l Webster.

The fictional frog-jumping contest is rigged in one gambler's favor when he secretly fills his opponent's frog with buckshot.

The Calaveras County fairgrounds is located just outside the Gold Rush-era town of Angels Camp in the Sierra Nevada foothills. It bills itself as an "old-fashion county fair" with exhibits and a variety of entertainment.

Last year's jumping frog contest drew 4,000 entries. This year's final is scheduled for Sunday.