Imagine being stranded upside down in mid air on a roller coaster for half an hour after it came to an abrupt halt.
In Britain, 28 people were left dangling face-down (photos below) 65 feet in the air for that length of time after an Air Galactica ride at Alton Towers stopped abruptlly during a heavy downpour on Monday (May 2).
The incident saw distressed passengers screaming and crying, reported the Daily Mail. They were worried they would plunge to the ground if their safety belts were to malfunction too.
Sixteen tourists in China faced the same nightmare on the same day when they too were trapped in their seats 70 metres above ground when their ride came to a rude stop. They had to endure 20 minutes of suspense before park workers came to the rescue.
The incident at Wanda theme park in Nanchang city in China’s Jiangxi province saw workers unbuckling the harnesses of the passengers before they clambered down a narrow staircase leading to the ground.
China’s CCTV station reported that the brake system was triggered after a signal was detected.
Some thought it could be the work of a bird – which was the cause of another roller coaster ride which stopped suddenly. It happened at Beijing’s Happy Valley Amusement Park in March.
But the incident was far more horrendous for the riders as they were left hanging upside down for 20 minutes – like the one at Alton Towers.
CCTV, Shanghaiist, YouTube screengrabs, Stomp
In 2013, firemen rescued 11 fun-seekers, who were stranded for two hours, after their ‘SkyLoop” expressin China broke down.
On Tuesday evening (May 3), Disneyland Resort in Anaheim had to evacuate riders and shut down its California Screamin’ roller coaster for an hour after a passenger was caught using a selfie stick during the ride.
Disneyland and Disney World resorts introduced the ban on the sticks last June because they had posed risks to passengers and its performing cast.
chenj@sph.com.sg
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Sentosa’s Battlestar Galactica roller coaster malfunctions
