Dreamworld ride stops suddenly, passengers left hanging in the air
Passengers were left hanging in the air after a ride stopped at Dreamworld. Photo: Twitter/Nine News Gold Coast
Passengers onboard a ride at Dreamworld endured a heart-stopping 30 minutes suspended in the air before they were brought down to safety on Monday afternoon.
The patrons were on the Gold Coast theme park’s Buzz Saw ride about 1pm when a safety sensor was triggered, which caused it to shut down immediately.
They spent a 30 minutes in the air before they were brought down to safety.
Six people were onboard the ride at the time, Fairfax Media reported.
Dreamworld said the passengers were not in danger during the incident.
“The Buzz Saw auto-stop sensor was engaged today,” it said in a statement.
“Auto-stopping and resetting of rides is a regular and essential part of operations. It occurs for a variety of reasons, from sensor alignment to guest behaviour or weather.
“Guests are not placed in danger by auto-stops occurring. They are an essential built-in part of ride safety systems and manufacturer’s specifications.”
The incident comes four months after four people were killed after the Thunder River Rapids malfunctioned.
The theme park stayed closed until December with patronage falling 63 per cent once it reopened.
#BREAKING VIDEO: Passengers are reportedly stuck mid-air on the Dreamworld Buzzsaw ride. #9News pic.twitter.com/M7sPkucJno
— 9News Gold Coast (@9NewsGoldCoast) March 6, 2017
Video of the incident shows the passengers suspended in the air with the ride completely stationary.
The Buzz Saw ride is described as one of the theme park’s “big 9 thrill rides”.
“The BuzzSaw is the highest inversion ride experience in the Southern Hemisphere and the first thrill ride guests can spot as they arrive in the main car park,” the company says on its website.
“Starting with a suspenseful 46m vertical ascent that will have you instantly wishing you were back on the ground.
“At its peak, your center of gravity is flipped as you’re upside-down 15 stories in the air before the ride car free-falls through a 360 degree heart roll, plummeting down a final vertical drop at speeds of up to 105km/h.”
Dreamworld’s parent company, Ardent Leisure, has said visitor numbers have been improving at the theme park since the start of the year.
It recently announced singer Guy Sebastian would front a new marketing campaign as it ramps up advertising ahead of the Easter school holidays.