THIS is the horror moment 28 thrillseekers are left dangling upside down 100ft in the air at a theme park in America.
The stomach-churning footage captured the “extreme” AtmosFEAR ride at Oaks Amusement Park in Portland suspended in mid-air with the bodies of more than two dozen people left in a perilous position.
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Emergency services were immediately called but it took them around 25 minutes to arrive at the scene – causing further unrest amongst those on the ground.
One bystander who recorded the incident said he heard people saying: “Oh my God, they are upside down.”
Chris Ryan and his wife, who had been queuing up for the ride, ending up walking away because of “how scary the situation was”.
They said that one member of staff told them how they were “concerned” for those stuck on the ride.
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Footage then showed the couple on top of a Ferris wheel when an announcement was made over the loudspeaker telling people that the park was closed and they needed to “vacate immediately”.
It remains unclear how the ride stopped but firefighters were eventually able to safely rescue all 28 individuals onboard.
Oaks Amusement Park confirmed in a statement posted on social media that one person with a pre-existing medical condition was taken to hospital as a precaution.
However, they said no one was injured in the incident.
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Portland Fire and Rescue said on X (formerly Twitter) that firefighters worked with engineers at Oaks Park to manually lower the ride.
However, due to the severity of the situation, crews had been preparing to conduct a high-angle ropes rescue if necessary.
Oaks Amusement Park added in their statement that maintenance workers were able to return the ride to its unloading position minutes later.
They will now work with relevant authorities to determine the cause of the stoppage and the ride will remain closed until further notice.
Oaks Amusement Park said: “We wish to express our deepest appreciation to the first responders and our staff for taking prompt action, leading to a positive outcome today, and to the rest of the park guests who swiftly followed directions to vacate the park to make way for the emergency responders to attend to the situation.”
It was the first time an incident involving the AtmosFEAR ride had been recorded since it opened in 2021.
It’s described as a “showstopping extreme attraction” with two rides in one: an 180-degree pendulum ride or the “over-the-top thrill of the 360-degree ride,” according to the amusement park’s website.
The ride operates like a pendulum, with the capacity to swing riders completely upside down.
It meant that those onboard were left with their feet in the air after the ride became stuck in what park officials called it’s “apex position” on the 360-degree setting.
One person on the ride said he started to cry and thought he was “going to die”.
Daniel Allen, 17, told Oregon Live that the upside-down position was extremely uncomfortable and his friend’s legs fell asleep from the waist-down.
Illya Plaksey, 44, was in the attraction’s car park when the horror unfolded.
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He said that most of the people trapped on the ride appeared to be Portland Public Schools students celebrating their high school graduation.
When the ride was fixed, however, Plaksey said “it dropped them abruptly,” adding more fear to the already terrifying situation.
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Source: Sun
