Passengers on The Dragon roller coaster at Ocean Park had to be evacuated yesterday after the ride broke down mid-ascent.
The incident took place at 6:24pm yesterday, when a roller coaster car suddenly stopped on the tracks while ascending the lift hill, leaving its 23 passengers ‘hanging in mid-air’, Ming Pao reports. Ocean Park staff began evacuating passengers at 6:40pm, and brought all of them back to safety by 7:05pm.
A spokesperson for Ocean Park said in a statement that the security system shut down the ride after detecting “mechanical abnormalities”. None of the passengers were injured or reported to have felt unwell as a result of the incident.
Service on The Dragon has been suspended until further notice and inspections are being carried out. The Electrical and Mechanical Services Department confirmed it had been notified by the park and has requested a full investigation report.
The Dragon was built in the United States of America and opened at Ocean Park in 1984. This is the fourth time the roller coaster has had to stop operating mid-ride since October 2011, when a faulty track sensor triggered the safety brakes. In a statement, Ocean Park stressed that its 22 roller coasters are checked frequently by park staff and independent inspectors.
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