Blackpool Pleasure Beach has launched an internal investigation after viral social media posts sparked rumours its historic roller coaster had derailed.
Incident details
The Big Dipper, one of the world's oldest operating wooden roller coasters, came to a stop at around 2pm on July 23 before guests were escorted off the ride, Pleasure Beach Resort said. Videos believed to have been originally shared on TikTok have since spread online, appearing to show one carriage leaning at an angle, fuelling speculation online that the attraction had derailed.
At the time of writing, one TikTok clip had been viewed more than 939,800 times, attracting over 56,000 likes and more than 1,530 comments. Pleasure Beach Resort said all riders were checked by first aid-trained staff after the manual deboarding and that no injuries had been reported.
Investigation underway
An internal investigation is now underway to determine the cause of the stoppage. One TikTok user claimed the track "split slightly", causing the last carriage to be pushed sideways before the train rolled backwards.
The footage prompted concern among social media users, with one person asking: "Is this the end for the Big Dipper?" Another wrote: "No not the Big Dipper pls repair it," while a third posted: "NOT THE BIG DIPPER."
Previous incident
The Big Dipper was also involved in a 2009 incident in which two trains collided after one became stuck on the track, injuring almost two dozen people.
A spokesperson for Pleasure Beach Resort said: "The Big Dipper came to a stop Thursday July 23, around 2pm, at a very low point in the ride. Following this, a manual deboarding took place with guests guided safely by trained operators. All riders were checked by first aid trained staff, with no injuries reported. An internal investigation is taking place to determine the root cause."
