Sixteen visitors were trapped in a roller coaster stopped by strong winds in Fangte Amusement Park of Wuhu, in eastern China's Anhui Province, on Monday, December 31, 2007. [Photo: Xinhua]

Sixteen tourists in eastern China's Anhui Province wrapped up 2007 in terror as they were suspended upside-down in the air for almost half an hour when their roller coaster suddenly stopped.

None of the tourists was injured in the mishap in Fangte Amusement Park in Wuhu City yesterday, the local Xin'an Evening News reported today.

The accident happened around 3 PM as the roller coaster suddenly lost power it was approaching the top of the moon-shaped track, the report said. At that point, all the cars were upside-down and passengers were screaming.

Staff at the amusement park used a manual control system and landed all the riders right-side up in about 30 minutes, the report said.

There were no physical injuries, but six people were sent for medical checks as they reported dizziness and heart problems while the other 10 said they were fine and went home, the report said.

Park workers speculated that yesterday's severe gale and low temperatures may have been a factor in the mishap as high wind resistance hampered the roller coaster from reaching the top of its track, the report said.

(Shanghai Daily January 1, 2008)