Riders stranded for 2 hours after Universal Studios Japan roller coaster stalls

For some thrillseekers at Universal Studios Japan in Osaka, this may be the scariest roller coaster ride of their lives.

64 riders found themselves suspended about 30 metres up in the air while riding the Flying Dinosaur on Tuesday afternoon (May 1).

They were trapped in their seats for up to two hours before they were rescued, Kyodo News reported.

The ride was halted after a safety mechanism detected some abnormality, the theme park said.

This caused two carriages - one going upwards and the other about to reach the terminal - to stop in the tracks.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Daz9dbs6wA[/embed]

Theme park staff later guided the stranded riders to safety via an aisle on the side of the rollercoaster.

Despite the scare, no one was injured in the incident.

After conducting repairs and safety checks, the theme park apologised and reopened the ride to visitors, Associated Press reported.

While many visitors continued to line up for the ride, others said they were shaken by the incident.

According to Kyodo News, this is not the first time the rollercoaster had stalled in its tracks.

The 1,120-meter-long ride, which opened in March 2016, faced similar issues in August and September last year.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEtUbfy5FFM[/embed]

minlee@sph.com.sg