Children were left screaming after a rollercoaster at a Suffolk theme park reportedly started to spark and fill with smoke, leading to an evacuation. Kids were forced to climb from the Egg-Spress ride at Pleasurewood Hills, near Lowestoft, on Saturday after passengers detected a burning smell. Parents later claimed children had been left "traumatised" when part of the enclosed tunnel section became smoky.
Parents describe terrifying scenes
A parent, who asked not to be named, told the BBC that the ride came to a halt at the highest point of a tunnelled incline while its wheels continued to turn, according to The Mirror. 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 went on to explain that he rushed back to the ride where he spotted a young boy, whom he urged to step off the track moments before the rollercoaster "shot back down the hill" without any prior warning.
Rescue operation and ride details
Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service firefighters rescued 27 people stuck on the rollercoaster, according to an image released by the service. In a statement issued to the East Anglian Daily Times, Pleasurewood Hills confirmed that visitors had disembarked from the ride but stressed there had been no fire. Suffolk Fire Service told the publication that it had been called out to the park.
The Mirror reports that adults were screaming there were "still children in the tunnel" as they made a chain to help get the remaining youngsters from the top of the track. 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."
Parents allege lack of announcements
A separate parent revealed that children had managed to free themselves from their seats but were "half hanging out" of the ride. They went on to say it had "jolted backwards" as the youngsters attempted to climb out. Parents alleged that no announcements were made regarding the incident.
According to the Pleasurewood Hills website, Egg-Spress, formerly Rattlesnake, opened its doors in 1986. The ride 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.
