The “Wild Twister” ride, which broke down at Hong Kong’s Ocean Park on Sunday, may have been caused by the mechanical arm exceeding its designed speed, triggering an automatic safety shutdown, veteran electrical and building services engineer Ho Wing-ip speculated.
He also suggested that another possible factor in the safety shutdown could be improperly secured seat restraints.
His comments came one day after a malfunction at the park’s ride left 17 people trapped for over an hour before being rescued.
Ho told a radio program this morning that amusement rides should undergo daily inspections before operation to ensure all systems function correctly. However, the fact that the issue only surfaced during operation suggests lapses in maintenance protocols.
He also pointed out that this was not an isolated incident—the Ocean Park Tower experienced a similar breakdown in May, raising concerns over whether the park is adequately maintaining its attractions.
The veteran engineer urged the park to review its maintenance practices and called on the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department, the regulatory body overseeing ride safety, to scrutinize inspection reports more rigorously and conduct unannounced checks on ride mechanisms.
Ocean Park confirmed in a statement yesterday that the ride had automatically shut down after detecting an operational fault. All 17 affected passengers were safely evacuated within two hours.
One of the trapped riders recalled that firefighters provided them with water and urged them to remain calm.
"Six firefighters encircled me and formed a human ladder to safely transport me to the ground," the rider added.
(Marco Lam)
