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20 people stuck, one injured at amusement park

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The Lihpao Land Ferris wheel.

20 people stuck, one injured at amusement park

The Lihpao Land Ferris wheel.

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – A member of staff suffered severe injuries and an estimated 20 visitors were left suspended high above the ground in two separate incidents at the Lihpao Land amusement park in Taichung Saturday.
When a brand new Ferris wheel was being worked on Saturday morning, a 35-year-old technician surnamed Huang reportedly fell from a 9-meter-high working platform. He was taken to hospital for surgery, reports said.
At another attraction, the Gravity Max coaster, strong winds forced an automatic mechanism to intervene and stop the machine, leaving between 20 and 30 visitors stuck above a 90-degree drop 39 meter above the ground, reports said.
Staff had to operate the coaster manually in order to bring the guests back down safely, according to management. The attraction was kept closed.
Lihpao Land, located in the Houli District of Taichung, imported the 120-meter-tall “Dream of the Sky” Ferris wheel, reportedly the largest in Taiwan, from Fukuoka in Japan.
Before it was dismantled in 2011, an accident reportedly happened with a pillar, but it was replaced with a new one designed by the China Steel Corporation, the operator said. Lihpao Land had originally planned to open the attraction late last year, but a financial dispute between contractors led to delays.
The precise reason for Saturday’s accident was not known, reports said.