A passenger who was stuck in one of the capsules said there was
a sudden jerk before the wheel stopped turning.
An announcement a few minutes later said there was a technical
error.
Mdm Lim Boon Siang, a passenger stuck in one of the capsules,
said: “About 4.30pm or 4.15pm, after we passed the maximum
altitude, it suddenly jerked to a stop and then for a good five to
ten minutes we waited.
"We thought that this could be something normal. And then there
was a message that came in that said that it has stopped temporary.
Everybody was calm, but initially the air—con was switched off, so
it was very hot due to the evening sun. They opened up the air
ventilator, and the air—con if I am not wrong is working now."
She said there were about 10 other people in her cabin including
children.
When contacted, a Singapore Flyer spokesperson confirmed the
incident and said a technical team is trying to fix the
problem.
The spokesperson added at the time of the incident, 23 capsules
were occupied with over 100 passengers.
The spokesperson said: "Their safety was never at risk while
they were in the capsules. Every capsule is equipped with an
intercom system which is linked to the control room for passengers
and the control room personnel to communicate.
"Our staff promptly informed passengers of the situation and
reassured them that measures were being taken to fix the technical
problem. There are also surveillance cameras installed in every
capsule for the operations team to monitor what is going on in all
capsules."
A ride on the 165—metre tall wheel, about 42 storeys high,
typically takes half an hour and each capsule can take up to 28
people.
Since the Flyer was operational in February this year, this is
the third time it has encountered problems.
The last time there were reports of a technical glitch was just
three weeks ago on December 4. The wheel was stuck for nearly five
hours due to extreme weather conditions and some 70 people were
affected. — CNA/vm