A group of thrillseekers was left terrified after being forced to walk down a steep escape route to evacuate a ride that had been stopped suddenly in the UK.
On Tuesday (April 11), the Big One at Blackpool's Pleasure Beach had to be brought to a halt after weather conditions suddenly changed for the worse.
Stranded passengers had to disembark the ride and be accompanied back down its terrifying 180ft steep emergency stairs. The rollercoaster was then out of action for the rest of the day.
An onlooker - who goes by the handle @DanblueEFC on Twitter - shared a moment from the scary incident and wrote: "It was cold, raining, and quite windy! Staff did great job getting everyone down though!"
Check out a picture and video of the incident below:According to The Guardian, one observer named Georgina Harrison, the manager of King’s Boutique Hotel said the whole procedure was very safe and orderly.
Harrison explained that her workplace has a clear view of Big One and added: "We can see everything that happens on the Big One and I was surprised to see this. It does happen occasionally."
The manager was also asked if she had ever been on the rollercoaster and said: "Definitely not, no. I’m happy to just watch from afar."
Per The Independent, a spokesperson for Blackpool Pleasure Beach issued a statement that read: "At 2:50 PM on Tuesday 11th April, Blackpool Pleasure Beach stopped the Big One train on the ride’s lift hill due to sudden changes in weather conditions."
"Guests on the ride were reassured and escorted from the ride by Blackpool Pleasure Beach staff. Due to high gusts of wind the Big One rollercoaster closed for the remainder of the day," they concluded.
The Big One - also known as the Pepsi Max Big One due to an old advertisement deal - opened to the public in 1994 and swishes riders around its more than one mile of track at up to 85mph.
The amusement park staff are no strangers to helping passengers off the ride. According to The Mirror, last May, it broke down for around 20 minutes, with employees having to ascend the steps of the lift hill to comfort people. The ride was then able to resume and came back down.
In addition to this, last September, the Big One broke down halfway up an angle and left stranded passengers in need of rescue, per The Independent.
The rollercoaster opened as the tallest and steepest rollercoaster in the world at that time. Despite it losing that title in 1996 to Japan's Fujiyama, it remains the tallest in Britain.
The record has been topped several times since and now belongs to the Kingda Ka at Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey. It is also the fastest rollercoaster in North America, as passengers can go from 0-128mph in 3.5 seconds, as noted by The Guardian. The park has advised people that the ride is: "Not recommended for wimps."
