A roller coaster at Universal Studios Japan in Osaka came to an abrupt halt halfway through its run on Dec 14, leaving 32 riders hanging upside down over 30m above the ground.

A carriage of the Flying Dinosaur roller coaster ride stopped at one of the course’s highest points – when it flips around the axis of the track and moves upside down – at around 11am, Japan’s public broadcaster NHK reported.

The park’s operator was quoted as saying 32 people were on the carriage.

NHK did not say how long the riders were stranded. But a similar mishap involving the same roller coaster on May 1, 2018, left passengers hanging upside down for about two hours.

No one was injured in the Dec 14 incident, as the riders were all extricated and led to safety via an emergency staircase, NHK reported.

The park operator said the roller coaster automatically stops if sensors installed on the attraction detect an abnormality, but that the exact cause of the incident remains unknown.

In the 2018 incident, two carriages of the Flying Dinosaur carrying 64 riders also stopped suddenly at separate points on the 1,120m-long ride.

The park operator said the malfunction was due to a defective part that controls the motor.

Another roller coaster at Universal Studios Japan has also been bugged by mechanical issues.

On Jan 22, 2022, some 30 people had to be rescued from the Hollywood Dream ride. They were stuck, sitting upright, for about 90 minutes before they were rescued.

That happened three months after the same roller coaster came to a sudden halt because of a power disruption, leaving 35 people stranded.