Firefighters have rescued 27 people who were trapped on a rollercoaster for up to three hours at Pleasurewood Hills theme park in Lowestoft, Suffolk.
The passengers were stranded on the Wipeout ride after its carriages stopped on the track at about 15 metres (49ft) above the ground on Monday, August 31.
Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service said it was called to the theme park shortly after 1:30 p.m. and deployed crews from Ipswich East, Ixworth and Lowestoft South to carry out the rescue.
The passengers were not left upside down, but remained suspended on the ride while firefighters used specialist rescue equipment to reach them.
By 5:10 p.m., firefighters had brought all 27 passengers safely to the ground using an aerial ladder and a scissor lift. No injuries were reported.
A visitor to the park, Richard Lines, said he was on another ride nearby when he noticed what appeared to be a power cut affecting several attractions.
Footage shared with the BBC appeared to show the Wipeout carriages moving backwards and forwards along part of the track before coming to a stop. However, the cause of the stoppage has not been confirmed by the theme park or fire service.
Lines said some passengers appeared to have remained on the ride for about three hours while the rescue operation was carried out.
“You feel sorry for the ones that were either at the front or the back who were up there for a good three hours – which is a long time,” he said.
Pleasurewood Hills said it was grateful for the way the affected riders handled the incident and apologised to those involved.
The park said the safety and wellbeing of its guests remained its highest priority and offered complimentary tickets to the affected visitors.
Wipeout is Pleasurewood Hills’ flagship rollercoaster and stands more than 40 metres (131ft) tall. The ride, which opened in 2007, underwent a £1 million transformation during the winter of 2024–25, including the installation of a new train.
The incident occurred on Bank Holiday Monday, the final day of the theme park’s summer season.