Tourists enjoy a roller-coaster ride at the Happy Valley Wuhan theme park in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, May 19, 2020. Happy Valley Wuhan, a theme park which had been closed due to the COVID-19 outbreak, has partly reopened on Tuesday. Still, there is a limit on the number of visitors and online pre-booking is required.Photo:Xinhua

A roller coaster malfunction left 20 tourists stuck in the air for over an hour in an amusement park in Wuxi, East China's Jiangsu Province on Saturday. No one was injured, while the cause is under investigation.

According to a video circulating online, the incident happened in Wuxi Sunac Park when a roller coaster became stranded on the rail in the air, leaving 20 tourists hanging upside down. 

In an announcement published later on Saturday night, Wuxi Sunac Park apologized for the incident, confirming that all the tourists involved were in good health, and no one was injured. When the incident happened, staff members at the scene immediately enacted the emergency plan. After the vehicle was brought down, stranded tourists were organized to leave the area in a safe and orderly manner, as staff members communicated with them to determine their physical condition. The amusement park was temporarily closed from 3 pm that day. 

This is not the first time that this kind of incident has occurred at Wuxi Sunac Park. In August 2019, a roller coaster in the park also became stuck in the air, leaving a full vehicle of tourists trapped. 

A park employee said back then they suspected that a foreign object, possibly a flying bird, had interfered with the roller coaster's sensor. The security system reacted automatically, stopping the roller coaster in order to protect the tourists.

When reached by the Global Times on Sunday, a park employee said the cause of the incident and the park's possible liability are under further investigation. She refused to comment on whether this incident was related to last year's.

The employee also confirmed that the park resumed normal operations on Sunday, except for seven suspended amusement rides pending safety inspections. "All visitors' safety is guaranteed," she stressed.