The Vortex ride at SeaWorld Australia was forced to close down after 13 passengers were left elevated 50 feet in the air during the high heat of the afternoon sun for an hour and a half. The park, which has been plagued by ride malfunctions, was able to rescue the guests after 90 minutes had elapsed by manually lowering the ride. In the video above, park workers are seen giving the guests umbrellas to shield themselves from the scorching sun while the main issue was being determined. Ultimately, the malfunction was confirmed to be caused by a faulty sensor, according to the park. After being rescued, the passengers were given medicals examinations, and were all cleared to be injury-free.
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SeaWorld Australia has since made a statement on its social media accounts, reading in part:
“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.”
