Theme park visitors stuck on world's steepest rollercoaster

A carriage on the hair-raising Mumbo Jumbo ride at Flamingo Land, at Kirby Misperton, near Pickering, came to a sudden halt when a poncho jammed the mechanism.

Two customers were stuck up in the air for around 20 minutes on Monday watched by the Bank Holiday crowds until they were rescued by theme park staff.

The record-breaking 4m ride opened last July. According to Guinness World Records, Mumbo Jumbo is the "steepest rollercoaster made from steel". It plunges people down an overhang of 112 degrees from a high point of 30 metres.

Thrill-seekers experience forces in excess of 4Gs – similar to those faced by fighter pilots. Rescue staff found that a poncho one of the passengers was wearing had become tangled in the ride's intricate workings.

Flamingo Land executive Elliot Richards said: "On Monday 3rd May 2010 at approximately 5.30pm a single car containing two riders stalled on our Mumbo Jumbo Rollercoaster.

"The ride safety system immediately activated stopping a second car, containing three riders, in a safety brake section. As a result of these circumstances Flamingo Land implemented its Evacuation and Rescue Procedure.

"All five riders were successfully evacuated without injury in quick succession, due to the speedy response of the Flamingo Land operations department."

The investigation showed there were no faults with the ride.