Rescuers in Oregon rescued 28 people Friday who had been trapped for about 30 minutes hanging upside down on a century-old amusement park ride.
Portland Fire Rescue is on social platforms X Firefighters worked with Oak Park engineers to manually remove the vehicle but were prepared to perform a high-altitude rope rescue if necessary. All passengers were evacuated and given medical examinations, and no injuries were reported.
At Oaks, one rider with a pre-existing medical condition was taken to hospital for further testing as a precaution. Said “Medical personnel have released all other passengers,” the airline said in a statement posted on social media.
The ride, called “AtmosFear,” moves like a pendulum and swings passengers completely upside down.
Chris Ryan, who lives near Gresham, and his wife were at the park for Ryan’s birthday. He told The Associated Press in a Facebook message that they had planned to ride the Atmosphere when they saw the ride get stuck and heard people say, “Oh my god, it’s upside down.”
They decided to leave because “the situation was scary,” he said. They eventually got on the Ferris wheel and heard an announcement over a loudspeaker that the park was closed and to evacuate.
Once the ride came to a halt, park staff immediately called 911, and emergency personnel arrived approximately 25 minutes later, the park statement said. Park maintenance workers were able to return the ride to its drop-off position a few minutes after emergency personnel arrived.
Portland Fire Department officials said about 30 people were on board, while the amusement park said 28 people were in the vehicle.
The park said the ride has been in operation since 2021 and has had no accidents to date. It will be closed until further notice. The park said it will work with the ride’s manufacturer and state inspectors to determine the cause of the shutdown.
“We would like to express our deep gratitude to the emergency responders and staff whose swift actions led to today’s positive outcome, and to other visitors who followed instructions and quickly evacuated the park to allow emergency responders to respond to the situation,” the company said.
The Oaks Amusement Park first opened in 1905, and its website says it offers “Portland’s unique blend of modern thrills and turn-of-the-century charm, having entertained generations of Northwest fans.”
