Oh my, what a harrowing experience that must’ve been.
39 people, including tourists from Vietnam and 4 children, were stranded on the Tiger Sky Tower ride in Sentosa late yesterday (Saturday, 12th August 2017) after a mechanical fault halted operations.
For those of you who are not in the know, the Tiger Sky Tower ride is the tallest observatory tower in Singapore, with an elevation of 131 metres (430 ft) above sea level for sweeping views. The tower, which features an enclosed cabin that rotates at the top, was introduced in 2004. From the top one can view the entire length of Singapore’s skyline and a panoramic view of the island. On a clear day, one may even be able to see at part of Johor Bahru and Indonesia’s skyline.
The passengers were trapped while the cabin was stuck 25 metres above ground. The first fault was reported at 5:35pm and according to the Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC), the on-site technical staff of Sky Tower immediately began troubleshooting the system. Sentosa Rangers were subsequently called in to assist Sky Tower’s engineers with the manual winching to lower the gondola.
At about 9:44pm, the cabin was lowered and all 39 passengers emerged unhurt.
This is not the first time that the Tiger Sky Tower ride had run into problems. In July 2010, the tower had to be closed when it stalled with Malaysian 10 tourists on board. The ride got stuck at the 55m mark during its descent, due to an uneven curvature on the track which affected the balance of the cabin.
The cause of the mechanical fault is still being investigated and the Tiger Sky Tower will remain closed till further notice.
Source: The Straits Times / Featured image: Klook.
