17 rescued after ‘Wild Twister’ ride at Hong Kong’s Ocean Park breaks down

Seventeen people were stranded in mid-air for more than an hour after a ride at Hong Kong’s Ocean Park malfunctioned on Sunday evening.

Emergency services were sent to the “Wild Twister” ride in the Wong Chuk Hang theme park after the breakdown.

Firefighters reached the riders and helped the first one down at 7.38pm, followed by a second person at 7.54pm The rescue was completed at 8.07pm when the last rider was escorted down. No one required medical treatment.

The group rescued comprised nine male and eight female park visitors, aged 14 to 28.

Police had received a report at 6.50pm that a mechanical ride inside the park had suddenly stopped, leaving passengers trapped at height.

The “Wild Twister” is a high-speed spinning attraction. It allows people in individual seats to ride, swinging and spinning while experiencing a force of up to a force four times stronger than normal gravity.

In late May, at another attraction, the Ocean Park Tower, 17 visitors were also stranded for nearly two hours due to a signal failure, which triggered its automatic safety protection system and brought the ride to a halt.