DOZENS of thrill-seekers were left hanging 80ft in the air yesterday for 14 minutes when a ride broke down at Alton Towers.
They were left in a “Superman-like” flying position as the Air roller-coaster came to a halt at its highest point.
One onlooker said: “It was terrifying. People were just left hanging upside down for ages.
“They looked really frightened. There were people screaming and crying.
“Two members of staff had to go up there and try to calm everyone down. But people were in hysterics.
“It took ages to get the ride going again.
“When the passengers got off they looked really pale and shaken. There certainly wasn’t anyone smiling.
“They re-opened the ride eventually but it put people off going on it. I certainly didn’t fancy it after witnessing that.”
A spokeswoman for the theme park confirmed the ride had broken down.
She said: “The Air ride places people in a flying position, like Superman.
“So when you’re going up the lift hill, you are facing the ground, rather than looking straight ahead. You’re not actually upside down.
“We have very well-rehearsed procedures for any issues with any of the rides and in this particular instance, Air was non-operational for 14 minutes.
“Staff were on hand to talk to guests and the ride didn’t need to be evacuated.
“But we’re of course sorry if any of the guests on board were distressed by the temporary delay.”
Last month almost 40 people had to be cut free from a ride at Chessington World of Adventures, in Surrey, three hours after it had broken down.
