Date:03/01/2009 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2009/01/03/stories/2009010357341800.htm

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A wild ride through Vienna

VIENNA: A woman and her two small daughters got more than their expected scenic tour through downtown Vienna on Thursday, when a team of unruly horses took them on a wild ride — leaving the drunken coachman behind.

The police said the two horses pulling the Fiaker — a traditional Viennese carriage — broke away, throwing the coachman to the ground as he was about to open the door for his passengers to let them disembark.

The horses then trotted from the central Third District over a bridge spanning the Danube Canal running through the city and into the adjoining Second District. En route, the carriage scraped two cars, freeing the horses, which then hit another car before stopping.

The passengers — a 39-year old overseas woman visitor and her two daughters, 10 and 7 — were unhurt. The horses suffered slight injuries. The coachman was charged with driving under the influence after a breath test administered on the scene. — AP