Six thrillseekers, including a young child, were left stranded 50 feet high on Alton Towers' Spinball Whizzer rollercoaster for nearly an hour on Friday after the ride came to a sudden halt. Emergency workers had to rescue the trapped riders one by one using ropes after one of the cars got stuck on a steep descent.
Alton Towers confirmed the ride was stopped at 1:05 PM after a guest entered a 'strictly prohibited' area. A spokesman said: 'In order to restart the ride, an assisted exit of the guests on board was necessary. The safety of our guests remains our utmost priority and at no point was the wellbeing of our guests compromised.'
The incident comes just over a year after the horror crash on the park's Smiler ride in June 2015, which left five people seriously injured, including two teenagers who required leg amputations. The park's operator, Merlin Attractions, was fined £5 million for health and safety failures following that crash.
Friday's breakdown is the latest in a series of incidents at the Staffordshire theme park. The Smiler broke down twice on September 1, 2016, leaving passengers stranded, and in May 2016, 28 passengers were left dangling on the Galactica ride after heavy rain caused it to stop.
Dozens of visitors took to Twitter to complain about ride breakdowns, with some calling for refunds. One visitor wrote: '@altontowers having an absolute shocker today, if you're thinking of coming don't bother as rides breaking down all day #altontowers.'
