London - Terrified thrill-seekers were stuck upside down for 30 minutes when a new Alton Towers rollercoaster broke down in heavy rain on Monday.
Visitors were heard screaming for help as they got stuck 65ft (about 19m) in the air on the stranded Galactica ride – some fearing they would fall out if their harnesses gave way.
Twenty-eight riders were trapped in the incident, which happened at around 2pm in front of Bank Holiday crowds. A member of staff climbed up to comfort the passengers.
It is just six weeks since the Staffordshire park’s Smiler rollercoaster reopened after nine months, following a crash that left five riders with serious injuries. Two needed leg amputations after their carriage crashed into an empty car at up to 50mph.
The new rollercoaster Galactica, which opened a month ago, is designed to make riders feel as if they are flying through space. They wear virtual reality goggles to combine high-tech graphics with the twists and turns of a regular rollercoaster.
Bosses hoped the ride would kick-start a recovery for the park after the Smiler disaster last June. Merlin, which owns Alton Towers, faces a multi-million-pound fine after it admitted breaching health and safety rules.
Thomas Symons, 20, was riding Galactica with girlfriend Rebekah Sheppard when it stopped suddenly at the top of the first loop.
Alton Towers visitors left hanging upside down after rollercoaster breaks down in heavy rain https://t.co/BFswMpuF35 pic.twitter.com/s1TLvAhE2d
— The Sun (@TheSun) May 2, 2016
He said: “I was the first in our row to realise something was wrong, took the VR goggles off and told the others to do the same as they still thought we were moving. They started freaking out?...? I was more scared that the seat belt would release and we’d fall out as we were suspended horizontally.”
He said the technical fault caused by bad weather left them stranded for 30 minutes.
Miss Sheppard added: “The lift that pulls it up stopped because of the rain.
“The weather was terrible but afterwards we got a free drink, free tickets for this year and [queue-jumping] fast tracks for rides.”
Kate Smythe, who was standing nearby, said riders were “screaming and crying”. She added: “We were told the ride had flooded and I wonder if the electrics shorted in the rain.”
Staff eventually managed to re-start the ride and there were no reports of any injuries. A theme park spokesperson said: “Heavy rain obscured a sensor on Galactica which meant that the ride was automatically stopped.
“The health and safety of our guests is our number one priority and our team followed standard procedures to get the guests off as quickly and as safely as possible.”
Daily Mail