Children were left "screaming" after sparks and smoke reportedly filled a tunnel on the Egg-Spress rollercoaster at Pleasurewood Hills theme park in Suffolk. Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service rescued 27 people stuck on the ride on Saturday.
Ride stops at summit of tunnelled incline
A parent, who wished to remain anonymous, told the BBC that the ride came to a halt at the summit of a tunnelled incline. The wheels, however, continued to spin. She said: "It started creating sparks and smoke and my daughter said she could see sparks from the motor behind and a flame come at the front. Everyone was screaming for help, I could hear so much screaming."
Wayne Lennox, whose two children were on the ride, described how they came "running out from the tunnel screaming 'the rollercoaster is on fire'". He rushed back to the ride, where he spotted a young boy whom he encouraged to step off the track moments before the rollercoaster "shot back down the hill" without any prior warning.
Parents form human chain
The Mirror reports that adults were screaming there were "still children in the tunnel" as they formed a human chain to help extract the remaining youngsters from the top of the track. A second parent reported that children had managed to free themselves from their seats but were "half hanging out" of the ride, which had "jolted backwards" as the youngsters attempted to climb out.
The father of two said: "It could have been so, so horrendous. For children on a rollercoaster, and there's smoke filling up [the tunnel], they are going to think it's on fire, they are going to try to get out. They are young children on their own and a few adults."
Park confirms no fire
In a statement to the East Anglian Daily Times, Pleasurewood Hills confirmed that passengers climbed off the ride but insisted there was no fire. Suffolk Fire Service told the publication that it had been called to the park. Parents alleged that no announcements were made regarding the incident.
According to the Pleasurewood Hills website, Egg-Spress, formerly Rattlesnake, opened in 1986. It combines a mix of gentle hills, dips and curves for the littlest thrill-seekers. A spokesman for Pleasurewood Hills told the EADT that the main priority of staff was to speak to those affected. The Mirror has contacted Pleasurewood Hills for further comment.
