More bad news for Alton Towers after last year’s Smiler crash, as one of their hyped up new rides left riders dangling upside down after a malfunction yesterday.

Images VIA

The ride in question was Galactica – the newly refurbished VR version of Air – and its riders were forced to hang out upside down on the first hill for around 20 minutes after the ride ‘flooded’. A member of staff climbed up to the top to try and reassure people that everything was going to be OK, but it doesn’t sound like it really worked as pretty much all of them ended up screaming and crying before they were able to get them down.

Someone who was visiting the park with her family named Kate Smythe had the following to say about the incident:

We were standing underneath it when the ride stopped and all the passengers were screaming and crying, they sounded terrified.

We were told the ride had flooded and I wonder if the electrics shorted in the rain.

I mean that’s certainly possible, but it doesn’t exactly paint he safety provisos in place at Alton Towers these days in the best light does it? You would think after all the negative publicity they received via the Smiler crash that they would be doing everything they could to prevent any more bad press for their rides. Sort it out guys.

Even with all that though, it probably still isn’t as dangerous as the most dangerous theme park of all time.