Twenty-seven people have been rescued after becoming trapped on a rollercoaster at Pleasurewood Hills theme park in Lowestoft, Suffolk, United Kingdom, for up to three hours.
Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service said crews were called to the Wipeout ride at about 13:36 BST after it stopped with passengers stranded high above the ground.
The ride came to a halt approximately 15 metres (49ft) in the air. An eyewitness said a power outage appeared to have affected several attractions at the theme park.
Video footage showed the rollercoaster carriages stopping before briefly moving again and then slowly rolling backwards and forwards before coming to a complete standstill.
Richard Lines, who was visiting the park with his two children, said he was on another attraction nearby when he noticed what appeared to be a power cut affecting multiple rides.
He said a member of staff was later seen attending to the stationary Wipeout ride before firefighters arrived to carry out the rescue.
Lines said firefighters used an aerial ladder to bring the passengers down individually.
“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,” said Lines, from Wymondham in Norfolk.
Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service confirmed that all 27 passengers had been safely rescued by 17:10. No injuries were reported.
Pleasurewood Hills expressed appreciation to the riders for remaining calm during the incident and thanked their families for their patience.
The theme park said it was “incredibly grateful for the way [the riders] handled” the situation and to their families for their “understanding and patience”.
“We appreciate that being stuck on a ride is not something anyone expects when visiting us.”
The park also issued an apology to those affected, saying the “safety and wellbeing of our guests is always our highest priority”.
As compensation, the visitors involved were offered complimentary tickets.
Wipeout, which stands more than 40 metres (131ft) tall, is described by Pleasurewood Hills as its flagship rollercoaster.
The attraction was launched in 2007 and was previously billed as the tallest, fastest and most extreme ride in East Anglia.
The ride underwent a £1m refurbishment during the winter of 2024-25, including the installation of a new train fitted with waist-restraint lap bars designed to improve passenger comfort and safety.
It is not the first time passengers have required assistance after a Wipeout breakdown.
In 2017, a man was rescued from the ride following another malfunction.
The latest incident occurred on Bank Holiday Monday, the final day of the theme park’s summer season, when opening hours had been extended.
