People left trapped on top of one of world’s largest rollercoaster after loose scarf

The 200ft ride is described as the ‘tallest, longest and fastest in the Southern Hemisphere’ and stopped just as it was about to reach one of the highest points of the track

Thrillseekers found themselves stuck at the top of one of the tallest rollercoasters in the world for several hours after a scarf became stuck on coaster wheels.

Passengers were evacuated from the DC Rivals HyperCoaster at the Warner Bros Movie World theme park on Australia’s Gold Coast on Friday.

The 200ft ride is described as the “tallest, longest and fastest in the Southern Hemisphere”, and stopped just as it was about to reach one of the highest points of the track.

Horrified theme-park goers looked on as passengers on board were evacuated (@deahotcakes/Instagram)

Dramatic footage showed the ride halted at 3pm local time Friday (4am GMT) after a scarf became entangled around the train wheel.

In their latest update Warner Bros Movie World said they had finally evacuated all passengers from the ride after a dramatic three-hour rescue.

“Our highly-trained ride operators identified a loose item (scarf) that had become entangled around the train wheel of the DC Rivals HyperCoaster and used their ride control system to safely stop the ride on the lift hill as a precaution,” their statement read.

Staff were seen wearing harnesses on the track assisting passengers in their evacuation (@deahotcakes/Instagram)

“The ride operator and the ride’s safety systems have done what they are trained and designed to do, and all the guests on-board are safe with the ride vehicle stopped in a designated zone.

“Our team exited the guests down the lift hill which is a process we regularly train for and simply requires the guests to walk down the stairs to the load station. Due to the height of the lift hill, we provided a harness for the guests.”

They added that as the park was closing at the time the last guests were exited, the ride won’t reopen until tomorrow as normal. Movie World said they understand ride stoppages can be frustrating, but reminded guests to remember safety rules.

They said: “We understand ride stoppages can be frustrating for guests and it is for reasons such as these why loose items are not permitted to be taken on-board rides and attractions and we encourage guests to follow all instructions of our operators.”