International- Eight people on a Wisconsin roller coaster were trapped upside down for about 4 hours after a malfunction.
- The roller coaster got stuck during the Forest County Festival in Crandon on Sunday.
Eight passengers were trapped upside down on a roller coaster in Wisconsin after it malfunctioned during a carnival on Sunday.
The incident took place at the Forest County Festival in Crandon, when a ride known as the Fireball stopped unexpectedly during a loop due to a mechanical failure, per a joint press release from the Crandon Fire Department and the Crandon Area Rescue Squad.
"Cars were near top of loop with passengers being held in inverted position by safety harnesses on cars," the press release said.
While the emergency team arrived at the scene within 15 minutes, the rescue operation took much longer because they needed special equipment due to the height of the ride, NPR reported.
Three trucks with extendable platforms were brought in to rescue the passengers, including one with a 100-foot platform that came from a neighboring city 45 minutes away, per the press release.
A video uploaded to Facebook by Scott Brass, a bystander, showed firemen on ladders trying to assist the trapped passengers.
Brass told NPR that five of the trapped passengers looked like children.
It took about four hours for all the ride-goers to be freed, per the press release. Most passengers were treated at the scene for their injuries, except one who was transported to a nearby hospital for further assistance. In all, over 50 rescue personnel from three counties responded to the incident.
The cause of the roller coaster malfunction has not yet been confirmed.
This rescue operation took place just days after another ride in North Carolina was temporarily shut down after a visitor spotted a crack in its support beams.
A representative from the Crandon Fire Department told Insider that they do not have information on the exact cause of the roller coaster malfunction.
July 6, 2023: The article has been updated to reflect the comments from the Crandon Fire Department.