Hanging Upside Down in the Air for 30 Minutes
Fire Authorities Manually Operate to Rescue
No Injuries Reported from the Accident

At an amusement park in the United States, a ride stopped operating while upside down, leaving passengers hanging inverted in the air for 30 minutes.

An incident occurred in Oaks Park, Portland, Oregon, USA, where the 'AtmosFEAR' ride stopped operating mid-air, leaving passengers hanging upside down.
[Image source=Portland Fire & Rescue]

On the 16th (local time), foreign media including the AP reported that at Oaks Park in Portland, Oregon, a ride carrying 28 passengers stopped at the top around 2:55 p.m. on the 14th. The ride is called "AtmosFEAR," and it swings like a pendulum in a circular motion before rotating 360 degrees. At the time of the accident, the ride stopped while inverted at 180 degrees. Passengers were forced to hang upside down about 16 meters above the ground, roughly the height of a five-story apartment building. Most of the riders were teenagers about to graduate from high school.

Immediately after the accident, amusement park staff called 911, and firefighters arrived at the scene around 3:20 p.m. The firefighters manually operated the ride, allowing the passengers to come down to the ground after about 30 minutes. One passenger with a pre-existing medical condition was transported to the hospital, but fortunately, no other injuries were reported. When all passengers were safely rescued, applause broke out at the scene.

An incident occurred in Oaks Park, Portland, Oregon, USA, where the 'AtmosFEAR' ride stopped operating mid-air, leaving passengers hanging upside down. [Image source: TikTok capture]

One of the passengers, Daniel Allen, told a local broadcaster, "It was unbelievable," recalling the incident: "My legs hurt so much, and I held back from vomiting." Another passenger, Jordan Harding, said, "When we were stopped upside down for more than a few seconds, I realized something was wrong," adding, "People were crying out for help and praying to God. I’m not religious, but I prayed. Some people were vomiting or losing consciousness. I didn’t think we would survive." Some passengers held each other’s hands and comforted one another by saying, "It’s okay."

However, one passenger claimed on their social media that the amusement park gave $50 (about 70,000 won) per person as compensation but that they plan to file a lawsuit.

AtmosFEAR first began operating in 2021 and had never experienced an accident until now. The amusement park announced that it has temporarily suspended the operation of AtmosFEAR following the incident and will work with the manufacturer and investigators to determine the cause of the stoppage.