Ferris wheel operator says staff never left controls

The owner of the amusement park operating Reykjavík’s Ferris wheel says no guests were left stranded inside the ride on Sunday evening, mbl.is reported.

The statement follows a report published earlier in the day that two guests had been left trapped in the Ferris wheel. That report was based on a police log, which said staff had switched off the ride and appeared to have left the area when the guests requested police assistance.

The police log also said that, by the time officers arrived, staff had realised what had happened and released the guests from the ride.

In a written response, Kane Taylor, owner of Taylor’s Tivoli, said a brief power interruption had required the system to be restarted before the Ferris wheel could operate again. The ride therefore remained stationary for several minutes while the restart and necessary safety procedures were carried out.

“I also want to point out that the staff responsible for the Ferris wheel were with the ride the entire time and kept continuous control of the operating controls. The ride was therefore never abandoned or left unattended,” Taylor wrote.

He added that customer safety was the company’s highest priority and that staff followed the appropriate safety procedures after the power interruption before restarting the ride.