■ United States
Thrill ride malfunctions
A bungee cord on a thrill ride broke, leaving an Oklahoma man dangling 7.5m off the ground for a half-hour until he was rescued by firefighters. Steve Alan Stone, 48, was not seriously hurt in the incident on Monday at the Tulsa State Fair. A ride worker was also helped down by rescuers. The ride, called the Ejection Seat, consists of a two-seat chair that is suspended from two towers by bungee cords. Passengers are propelled as much as 60m high at speeds of about 96kph. Shortly after Stone was launched, one of the cords broke, leaving the seat dangling sideways.
■ United States
`E. coli' death confirmed
Idaho health officials confirmed on Thursday a toddler who died last month from kidney failure had been infected by the E. coli strain responsible for a nationwide wave of food poisoning linked to tainted spinach. The 2-year-old boy, Kyle Allgood, from Chubbuck, Idaho, who died on Sept. 20, was the second confirmed fatality of the E. coli bacteria outbreak that has sickened 192 people nationwide and one person in Canada, said Ross Mason, a spokesman for the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare. An elderly woman in Wisconsin who died on Sept. 7 was the first confirmed death from the outbreak.
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