RALEIGH, N.C. — An accident on a ride at the North Carolina State Fair injured five people.

A preliminary investigation indicates that passengers may have been injured when the “Vortex” ride started up again as they were getting off, about 9:17 p.m. Thursday, fair spokesman Brian Long said.

He said an ambulance was on the scene immediately, and that two of the injuries “appear to be serious.”

The “Vortex” spins, twirls and flips passengers upside down. Long said the ride would undergo inspection by the state Department of Labor, and that the sheriff’s office would also conduct its own investigation and look for witnesses.

A TV station quoted witnesses as saying several people were thrown off the ride.