36 People Left Hanging: What Went Wrong With Chennai Roller Coaster Ride? Explained

What started as a fun evening at an amusement park near Chennai quickly turned into a frightening ordeal for 36 people, including children, after their ride got stuck mid-air on Tuesday night. As the ride, named "Top Gun" approached its highest point and would revolve a full circle, a loud noise came from one of the engines.

About 35 personnel from the fire and rescue services department along with the local police were involved in bringing down the stranded people. The fire department was alerted, and a rescue team from Guindy arrived with a sky-lift vehicle capable of reaching up to 150 feet. Rescue efforts began around 8.30 pm and lasted an hour.

There was total chaos when the ride that could revolve a full circle suddenly got stuck. Luckily for the passengers, it remained above the ground, sparing them the risk of falling down.

What Exactly Went Wrong?

As per a TOI report, preliminary findings indicate that the ride was poorly maintained and had pre-existing mechanical issues that were overlooked by the operators. Fire personnel provided biscuits and water to those trapped on the ride before safely bringing each person down. Medical teams at the site administered first aid.

''We got a call at 7.20 pm that 36 people were stuck in a fun ride called 'Top Gun'. After our initial attempts to rescue them with a ladder failed, we engaged two sky lifts to safely bring them down one by one, District Fire Officer Loganathan said.

None among those rescued were injured, he said, adding that an ambulance was brought to the theme park to check their health status.

All of them were safely rescued following a one-and-a-half-hour operation on Tuesday night, according to a senior official from the fire and rescue services department, a PTI report said.