Rescuers scramble to help riders trapped at the top of a 72-foot rollercoaster.At a theme park, a rollercoaster ride broke down, leaving eight people stuck at the top.
When the Rage rollercoaster malfunctioned this afternoon at Adventure Island in Southend, Essex, emergency personnel acted quickly.
As one of the cars came to a stop not far from the top of the 72-foot ride, onlookers watched in helpless fear.
Witnesses claim that they were left dangling on the tracks for “at least half an hour to 45 minutes” after the rollercoaster broke down about 2pm.
One onlooker captured some video of the car on the ride, with the passengers facing the sky.
To carry the visitors to safety, park engineers can be seen using an emergency escape platform.
It is believed that everyone on board has now disembarked from the vehicle.
They had to be tethered and rescued down, according to a mother who was in the park with her 6-year-old daughter.
“It got stuck. It’s the big one there that goes through the loop – it goes up, God knows high, then straight back down, and then loops,” the speaker said.
The top is where it “literally just got stuck.”