CHENNAI: At least 12 passengers were stuck about 30 feet in the air for 20-30 minutes after a sudden power cut halted a roller coaster mid-ride at the newly inaugurated Wonderla amusement park in Thiruporur, 56 km south of Chennai, on Tuesday. Rescue personnel climbed the structure and assisted each rider down once power was restored, sources said.
Videos of the stalled coaster, widely shared online by visitors, intensified concerns over safety at the Rs 611-crore park inaugurated on December 1 by Chief Minister MK Stalin. The 64-acre facility, which houses over 43 attractions including India’s first B&M inverted roller coaster ‘Tanjora’, witnessed multiple ride malfunctions within hours on its opening day, sources said.
Several visitors said amusement park officials gave vague or delayed explanations about the disruptions, leading to tense exchanges at the venue.
Wonderla MD Arun Chittilappilly issued an apology on Instagram while acknowledging the unexpectedly large turnout. “Despite bad weather, more than 2,000 people visited the park on day one,” he stated.
Wonderla Holidays Limited said in a statement, "We want to reiterate that there were no technical or safety-related issues with any ride. The pauses were solely due to external power instability." It added, "Regional power fluctuations on December 2nd caused brief pauses in a few rides while the system switched to backup power."
Wonderla also clarified that operations remained under control throughout. "As a precaution for the current weather conditions, the park is now operating solely on our own power systems to ensure uninterrupted functioning,” it stated.