SeaWorld Australia shuts down Vortex ride after guests get stuck in scorching heat | VIDEO

ByABC7 Chicago Digital Team WLS logo
Thursday, August 29, 2024
13 rescued from ride at SeaWorld Australia after 90 minutes in scorching heat
Imagine getting stuck on a ride, in the air, for 90 minutes in the scorching heat. Well That's what SeaWorld in Australia says happened to 13 people yesterday.

SeaWorld Australia closed a ride after guests were stuck 50 feet in the air in the scorching heat.

ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch

It happened on Tuesday in Main Beach, Queensland on the Vortex.

Video shows guests be freed after 90 minutes of being suspended in the air, the park said.

The stoppage was caused by a sensor communication fault, Sea World said on Facebook.

All 13 guests were given health checks, and no injuries were reported.

Ride operators at the park were able to manually bring the ride down and disembark guests, the park said.

SeaWorld announced the Vortex will be closed until further notice to allow engineers to check the ride, and released the following statement:

"Ride stoppages are part of every attraction's operations and as part of each individual attractions operating system there are multiple processes to follow when stoppages occur. Most commonly, our team can clear the fault which has caused the stoppage and return the ride to the unload position using the computer system, however in cases where that doesn't occur, we then move to manual processes, which is what occurred yesterday on the Vortex."

Storyful contributed to this report.