Terrifying moment passengers are left hanging mid-air for half an hour on Buzzsaw rollercoaster at Dreamworld theme park where ride killed four last year
Safety feature activated on ride, leaving group suspended
SEVERAL thrillseekers have been left suspended on a rollercoaster at an Australian theme park where four were killed after a ride malfunctioned last year.
Passengers were stuck near the top of the Buzz Saw ride at Dreamworld on the Gold Coast after an “essential” safety feature was activated, the reports.
The ride stopped at around 1pm local time on Monday with about eight passengers on board.
Emergency services were not called and Dreamworld says the carriage was able to return to its starting point to allow passengers to get off.
A statement from Dreamworld said the incident was caused by an “auto-stop sensor” on the ride and that no guests were placed in danger.
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The statement read: “The Buzz Saw auto-stop sensor was engaged today. Auto-stopping and resetting of rides is a regular and essential part of operations.
“It occurs for a variety of reasons, from sensor alignment to guest behaviour or weather. Guests are not placed in danger by auto-stops occurring.
“They are an essential built-in part of ride safety systems and manufacturer’s specifications.”
A witness said the carriage was almost at the top of the ride when it stopped, but the ordeal was over within about half an hour.
Buzz Saw is one of the “Big Nine” rides at the theme park, which was closed during the aftermath of the Thunder River Rapids ride disaster in which four people died in October last year.
One of the rafts flipped over, crushing the passengers in a tragedy that shook Australia.
The park only re-opened three months ago after the incident – which prompted a park-wide safety inspection.
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