SeaWorld Ride Takes Passengers Prisoner Hundreds Of Feet In The Air For Three Hours

As if SeaWorld didn’t have enough issues, a fun day at the park turned into an anxiety filled nightmare for nearly 50 people who were stuck more than 200 feet in the air for hours when the ride they were on Sunday lost power.

A power outage at the San Diego park left 46 patrons and two employees stranded on the enclosed Skytower ride, which stands 400 feet tall and allows guests to see panoramic views of the surrounding area, FOX5 San Diego reports.

The ordeal lasted nearly three hours. During that time, employees passed out snacks and water for the trapped patrons. San Diego Fire and Rescue crews were called to the park and placed on standby.

Eventually, SeaWorld employees were able to restore power to the ride and got all passengers off safely.

Fire officials tell FOX5 that a teenager and a child needed medical assistance. One was rushed to the hospital by ambulance to be treated for anxiety.

SeaWorld released a statement Sunday evening about the earlier event:

SeaWorld’s San Diego’s Skytower ride experience a power failure this afternoon. With guest safety as our top priority, park engineers spent four hours trouble-shooting the problem before restoring power to the Skytower and safely returning the 46 guests to the ride loading area. The guests were never in danger and park officials were in constant communication with them while the power failure was being addressed. Two SeaWorld employees were also in the Skytower providing guests with water and snacks. The San Diego Fire Department was on scene, however, there was no requirement for an emergency evacuation. We greatly appreciate the patience of our guests, and they received return admission and other park amenities. The cause of the power failure is under investigation.

Dozens stranded on SeaWorld ride after power outage [FOX5 San Diego]

by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist