Thrillseekers were left terrified after one of the world’s tallest rollercoasters came to a grinding halt in mid-air.
The rollercoaster at Warner Bros. Movie World on Australia’s Gold Coast unexpectedly stopped midair, leaving dozen of riders suspended in their seats, awaiting rescue and causing a temporary pause in the excitement at the popular theme park, 9News reports.
The 200-foot ride is known as the “longest and biggest” in the Southern Hemisphere. Dozens of people found themselves stranded on the DC Rivals HyperCoaster. It was later revealed that an entangled scarf caused the operators to shut off the ride’s power, leaving the passengers suspended in mid-air since 3 pm AEST on Friday, and thus leading ride operators to halt the ride on the lift hill as a precautionary measure.
Passengers were equipped with harnesses and instructed to descend the stairs back to the load station while being closely monitored by safety crews.
In a statement, Movie World highlighted the expertise of their highly-trained operators in utilising the control system to safely halt the ride.
A spokeseperson said: “The ride operator and the ride’s safety systems have done what they are trained and designed to do, and all the guests on-board are safe with the ride vehicle stopped in a designated zone.”
In light of this horrifying event, the park reiterated why loose items are strictly prohibited on attractions for safety reasons.
The spokesperson added: “We understand ride stoppages can be frustrating for guests and it is for reasons such as these why loose items are not permitted to be taken on-board rides and attractions.”
Despite the inconvenience caused by the stoppage, all passengers were safely guided down, and efforts were underway to rectify the situation and resume the exhilarating coaster experience.
