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20th Jul 2022

Alton Towers: Terrifying moment thrillseekers are forced to climb down Oblivion Roller Coaster

Charlie Herbert

Alton Towers ride Oblivion stops at top

They had to walk 65ft back to the ground in 40C heat

An unfortunate group of adrenaline junkies became stranded at the top of the Alton Towers ride Oblivion, and had to walk all the way back to ground level on one of the hottest days in British history.

While many chose to do as little as they could in the record-breaking 40C heat on Tuesday, some clearly thought the stifling temperatures were the perfect conditions for a trip to the theme park.

Oblivion suspends thrill seekers at the top of a vertical 180ft drop into an underground tunnel, which they plummet into.

But when the ride got stuck at the top, one group were left stranded 65ft in the air and treated to a much slower descent.

Twitter user Dean shared pictures of the incident and documented how it all unfolded.

He wrote: “An Oblivion shuttle has stopped at the top, I’m sure the magical bottles of water will be straight out in this heat.”

Eventually, those on the ride were safely evacuated back down to ground level, but going down 65ft of stairs in 40C heat was probably not the experience they’d signed up for when they went to Alton Towers.

 

The theme park has since said that Oblivion performed “exactly as it is designed to do,” and that at “no point was guest safety compromised.

A spokesperson for Alton Towers said: “Oblivion experienced a routine stoppage. The ride performed exactly as it is designed to do.

“The ride performed exactly as it is designed to do. In line with our well-rehearsed procedures, guests were assisted from the ride and were immediately given water, food, hats and all left happy to continue on with their day at the park. At no point was guest safety compromised.”

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