U.S. Independence Weekend starts with a nightmare for 60 in Orlando, Florida
The Independence Day weekend in the United States started Friday. It started with a scary beginning in Orlando at the
Orlando Eye. It's the fifth tallest Ferris wheel in the world; just 13 meters shy of the London Eye.
More than 60 people had to be rescued from a 400-foot-tall observation wheel in Orlando which stalled due to a technical
glitch. Riders were left hanging for more than two hours.
The computer system of the Orlando Eye, an observation wheel the height of a 40-storey building, malfunctioned around
3:45 pm, causing the attraction to automatically shut down, according to local Channel 9.
A backup generator only got the wheel moving again around 6 pm.
During the interim, a special team of firefighters was engaged in considering various rescue options, including
airlifting.
Although the gondolas eventually started moving again and slowly reached the ground, they still wouldn’t open
automatically. Firefighters had to use ladders to help people escape through hatches in the top.
ENDS