39 stuck on Tiger Sky Tower for over four hours

Singapore: A mechanical fault with the Tiger Sky Tower attraction on Sentosa left 39 people stranded 25m in the air – about eight storeys high – for more than four hours.

Saturday’s glitch occurred at 5.35pm and it was only at 9.45pm that the gondola was finally lowered to ground and all on board, including children and the elderly, were able to disembark.

All of them were “doing fine”, said the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF).

In a statement yesterday, the Building & Construction Authority (BCA), which regulates amusement rides, said it was alerted to the “system malfunction” and dispatched its engineers to investigate.

Sky Tower director Alexander Melchers said that engineers had conducted maintenance checks on Saturday morning prior to the ride – as is the usual practice.

“We have a very strict maintenance regime, but at this point of time, I cannot confirm the cause for what happened,” he said.

Melchers also said that the gondola was never at risk of plunging as the ride has fail-safes similar to elevators.

His firm will reach out to the ride’s German manufacturer, Huss Park Attractions, even as it works with BCA to decide when the tower can continue operation.

The Sky Tower, launched in 2004, reaches 110m. It can ferry up to 72 passengers to the top via an enclosed, air-conditioned cabin, also known as a gondola.

The seven-minute ride affords views of Sentosa, Singapore, and parts of Indonesia and Malaysia.

The Sentosa Development Corporation said last night that when operations at the tower were suspended, the Sky Tower’s on-site technical team “immediately began troubleshooting the system”.

The SCDF sent two fire engines, two Rescue Tenders and an ambulance to the incident, though no injuries were reported. The elite Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (Dart) was also dispatched.

Dart rescuers climbed to the top of the tower before rappelling down and into the gondola – with the team on standby to rescue the passengers from height.

But with a large crowd watching, technicians were able to lower the gondola intermittently until it reached the ground. — The Straits Times/Asia News Network