Witnesses describe terrifying moment Rio Carnival float crashed into spectators injuring 20 as it crushed them against metal barriers
Injured taken to hospital after car jams them against railing separating track from stands
AT least 20 revellers have been injured - two seriously - at the Rio Carnival after an out-of-control float crushed them against a barrier.
One onlooker described the "horrible" moment the vehicle slammed into crowds on the first night of the elite samba school championship yesterday.
An accident at the Rio Carnival has left at least 20 injured
"People were desperate, not knowing what to do."
The horror unfolded after the Paraiso do Tuiuti samba school's cars lost control at the beginning of the parade and jammed people against the railings separating the track from the bleachers.
Some of the injured were trapped by the vehicle as firefighters fought to rescue them.
One eyewitness described scenes of "mayhem".
He said: "I nearly got hit by the car too as it totally lost control and went careering into the side of the barriers."
Some 20 people were injured in the horror smash at the crowded street festival.
Eight of them, including journalists covering Rio's biggest party, were hospitalised, while a further three remained in serious condition today.
Cops launched a probe as soon as the float finished its transit through the Sambadrome.
Police investigator William Lourenco Bezerra said the three drivers of the float would be questioned Monday morning, adding that one already had been identified as the main focus of enquiries.
Bezerra said: “The last float went into reverse and ended up pressing revellers against the fence on one side. That caused chaos.