John
05-05-2010, 04:52 PM
The five passengers were trapped about 50ft above the ground in two cars after a poncho got caught in the mechanism in a freak incident.
They were left upside down before being rescued by staff at the Flamingo Land theme park. Fortunately, no-one was injured.
The Mumbo Jumbo ride, which is claimed to be the steepest rollercoaster on the planet, plunges people down an overhang of 112 degrees from a high point of almost 100ft.
Passengers experience forces in excess of 4Gs - similar to those faced by fighter pilots.
Nigel Warburton, of Darlington, County Durham, who was at Flamingo Land for a day out, photographed the incident.
"There was quite a crowd gathered watching," he told The Northern Echo.
Park executive Elliot Richards told the York Press: "As a result of these circumstances, Flamingo Land implemented its evacuation and rescue procedure.
"All five riders were successfully evacuated without injury in quick succession, due to the speedy response of the Flamingo Land operations department."
Mr Richards said an investigation had not revealed any faults with the ride and the jam had been caused by the item of clothing.
The £4m ride opened at the park near Malton last July.
The theme park's boss Gordon Gibb revealed why the ride is called Mumbo Jumbo.
He said: "It's meant to be a tongue-in-cheek description, poking fun at the way other theme parks exaggerate their new rides and attractions.
"We're not talking mumbo jumbo - our new rollercoaster is definitely the real deal!"
They were left upside down before being rescued by staff at the Flamingo Land theme park. Fortunately, no-one was injured.
The Mumbo Jumbo ride, which is claimed to be the steepest rollercoaster on the planet, plunges people down an overhang of 112 degrees from a high point of almost 100ft.
Passengers experience forces in excess of 4Gs - similar to those faced by fighter pilots.
Nigel Warburton, of Darlington, County Durham, who was at Flamingo Land for a day out, photographed the incident.
"There was quite a crowd gathered watching," he told The Northern Echo.
Park executive Elliot Richards told the York Press: "As a result of these circumstances, Flamingo Land implemented its evacuation and rescue procedure.
"All five riders were successfully evacuated without injury in quick succession, due to the speedy response of the Flamingo Land operations department."
Mr Richards said an investigation had not revealed any faults with the ride and the jam had been caused by the item of clothing.
The £4m ride opened at the park near Malton last July.
The theme park's boss Gordon Gibb revealed why the ride is called Mumbo Jumbo.
He said: "It's meant to be a tongue-in-cheek description, poking fun at the way other theme parks exaggerate their new rides and attractions.
"We're not talking mumbo jumbo - our new rollercoaster is definitely the real deal!"