Mar 26 (soranews24.com) - Mild panic broke out at approximately 1:20 p.m. on 23 March at the Arakawa Amusement Park in Arakawa Ward, Tokyo.
While in operation, the "Family Coaster" - purported on the park's website to be the "slowest coaster in Japan" - suddenly derailed, leaving the seven adults and twelve children suspended about five meters (16 feet) above the ground.
It was reported that a wheel on the first car had disengaged with the rail, causing the entire train to grind to a halt. A woman in her 30s and her six-year-old son who were on the ride at the time of the accident explained to Asahi Shimbun, "The coaster was moving so slowly, I didn't notice it had stopped."
However, things got kind of "scary" when park staff began trying to push the train and hitting it with hammers, all the while not explaining what had happened to the riders. Customers began to call the emergency police number 110 and rescue crews eventually arrived at the scene. After about 50 minutes, everyone was safely evacuated from the Family Coaster and no injuries were reported.
