16 people have been rescued from a malfunctioning ride at a theme park in the US.
The incident happened at SeaWorld San Diego in California.
According to local emergency services, nine adults and seven young people got stuck on a malfunctioning gondola ride.
Technical rescue fire officers were called to the scene, and began a several hour long operation to bring the trapped group to safety.
Rescue crews are almost two hours into a rescue operation involving 16 people stuck on a malfunctioning gondola ride at SeaWorld. One person has been rescued at this time. The operation continues . . . pic.twitter.com/bKOpFzPMT4
— SDFD (@SDFD) February 19, 2019
Images from the scene showed people being lowered via harnesses, before being taken back to ground on a boat.
The rescued people were evaluated by medical crews after being brought to a nearby dock.
On Monday night local time, officials tweeted to confirm everyone was safely back on the ground.
SEAWORLD RESCUE UPDATE: All 16 persons trapped in the gondola ride are safe on the ground. Great job by our Technical Rescue Team firefighters, @SDLifeguards & support staff. pic.twitter.com/tQvF9djg9U
— SDFD (@SDFD) February 19, 2019
In a statement published by local media, SeaWorld said the gondola ride had stopped due to an "unusual gust of significant wind".
There were blankets on board the gondola, and staff kept in contact with those on board via intercom.
The company said their priority was ensuring everybody was safe.
They'll "conduct a thorough inspection of the ride" before reopening it.
SeaWorld is one of the most high-profile theme park chains in the US, with other locations in Orlando and San Antonio.
