Roller coaster breaks down ‘200 feet in air’, forcing riders to climb down

Riders in a UK amusement park were forced to climb down
nearly 200 feet on Sunday, after a roller coaster, perhaps aptly named ‘Big One’,
stopped functioning near the top. Riders were forced to undertake a risky climb
down to the ground, as per various media reports.

Located in the Blackpool Pleasure Beach in Lancashire,
United Kingdom, the Big One, opening in 1994 as the Pepsi Max, is a steel
roller coaster that held the crown of being the tallest roller coaster in the
world, and currently remains the tallest roller coaster in UK, at a total
height of 213 feet.

Reportedly, the park staff climbed to the terrified riders
and brought them down.

A video from a visitor to the park shows riders making a slow,
careful descent to the ground.

The video, posted in a Facebook group titled ‘Blackpool & Fylde COAST Past, Present and Future’, drew shocked and relieved expressions from users.

“I’d still be up there. No way u would have got me to trek down”, said one user.

“I would happily walk down”, said another.

“At 11.30am on Sunday 25th April a stoppage occurred on the Big One lift hill.

The decision was taken to stop the ride and all riders were safely escorted down the lift hill. The ride was checked and re-opened at approximately 1.00pm”, the Mirror quoted a spokesperson from the Blackpool Pleasure Beach as saying regarding the incident.