40 visitors were left stranded on a 72-meter-high observation tower at Hong Kong’s Ocean Park after the attraction suddenly stopped operating on the afternoon of Nov. 9.
Police received a report at around 3:30 p.m. that the passengers were trapped at the Ocean Park Tower in the theme park’s Marine World section in southern Hong Kong.
The theme park said the tower – part of the landmark tourist attraction in Hong Kong’s southern district – experienced a fault signal at 2:21 p.m. while carrying riders in its revolving deck, the South China Morning Post reported.
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Ocean Park Tower at Hong Kong’s Ocean Park. Photo courtesy of the park |
Most visitors were evacuated safely using emergency stairs.
However, one woman remained inside due to health concerns. Firefighters eventually reached her by rappelling from the tower’s roof and brought her down safely at around 4:45 p.m., The Standard reported.
No injuries were reported.
Authorities have yet to establish what caused the malfunction.
The tower stands 72 meters tall in Ocean Park’s Marine World zone, which is approximately 200 meters above sea level. Its rotating cabin provides 360-degree views of the Aberdeen area and nearby islands. Ocean Park describes the attraction as one of Asia’s tallest observation towers.
The attraction experienced a similar incident in May 2015, when 17 visitors were stranded for nearly two hours after its operating system detected an irregular signal and automatically stopped the ride.
All passengers were safely evacuated in that incident, with no injuries reported.
