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Thrill-seekers in carousel ride terror

NTB/The Local
NTB/The Local - [email protected]
Thrill-seekers in carousel ride terror
View from the Air Lift ride in Kongeparken, near Stavanger. Photo: wongsin Flickr "

A carousel at an amusement park near Stavanger stopped due to an electrical failure, leaving 20 people helpless over 30 meters above ground on Monday.

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The ride called the "Airship" in Kongeparken is Norway's tallest carousel. Kongeparken, in the village of Ålgård, near Stavanger, is the biggest amusement park in the southwest of Norway and Rogaland's biggest tourist draw.

Twenty people were trapped at the highest position of 32 meters above ground.

The carousel stopped at 3pm on Monday and park caretakers tried to fix the technical failure. They had to call the fire department for help.
 
The fire department got passengers safely down to the ground, but it took nearly three hours to rescue all fifteen.
 
Håkon Lund, Kongeparken's manager, informed NTB: "The fire department has evacuated the last person. No one is injured. They've been sitting still and well secured."
 
The Airship opened in 2003 and the carousel has never stopped accidentally before.
 
Jan Roald Eik, a rescued passenger, was on the carousel with his sister and her two young children. He accused the amusement park of giving victims poor information about what was going on during their rescue. He said on the news website Aftenbladet.no: "The carousel started and stopped several times without going up and down. Just around and around. The park employees tried shouting to us from the ground, but there was some wind. We could not hear what they were shouting.
 
Håkon Lund was quick to defend the amusement park's high safety standards. Lund said: "The carts in the carousel are locked from the outside and cannot be opened unless we unlock them. There are also seatbelts, so safety is well taken care of."

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