Mayor suspends thrill rides at Enchanted Kingdom
By Marlon Ramos
Inquirer
First Posted 03:41pm (Mla time) 12/13/2007
STA. ROSA CITY, Laguna -- The mayor of this city on Thursday ordered the temporary suspension of all thrill rides at the Enchanted Kingdom theme park, a day after one of its roller coaster rides stalled and stranded 25 students in mid-air.
Mayor Arlene Nazareno said the suspension of at least six thrill rides at the theme park, including the “Space Shuttle” that malfunctioned Wednesday, was needed to allow members of the city engineering office to conduct a thorough inspection of all possibly risky attractions.
She said the suspension does not cover the entire operations of Enchanted Kingdom and children’s rides like the “Grand Carousel” and other “relatively safe” attractions.
“The safety of the public is our utmost concern. We don’t want any untoward incidents to happen again,” Nazareno told the Philippine Daily Inquirer (parent company of INQUIRER.net).
Nazareno, together with members of the city engineering office and other city officials, went to Enchanted Kingdom in Barangay (village) Balibago around 11 a.m. Thursday to personally check on the safety measures of all rides inside the theme park.
She said the park management has always been complying with safety standards set by the city government since the theme park opened in 1995.
“Enchanted Kingdom’s safety standards are really laudable. Its officials have been very cooperative with us. It’s just unfortunate that something like this happens,” she said.
Asked how long the suspension will last, she said: “As soon as we finish the inspection.”
Nazareno likewise said she has ordered a thorough investigation of the incident.
Miles Sarmiento, corporate communications manager of the theme park, said they have yet to identify the reason why the ride malfunctioned, saying they were still conducting a separate investigation on the matter.
“It could be a technical or human error,” she said, without elaborating.
The coaches of the “Space Shuttle” stalled as it was making a turn in one of the three loops of the 11-story-high roller coaster at around 5:20 p.m.
For two agonizing hours, the 25 all high school students who were on a field trip, were carefully plucked from the coaches by volunteer rescuers who used a crane truck owned by the Manila Electric Company (Meralco).
The rescuers -- firemen, Meralco personnel and theme park employees -- pulled out the last of the stranded riders at around 7:15 p.m.
Superintendent Reymundo Oliquiano, city police chief, said the students were quickly rushed to the clinic inside the theme park.
They were later brought to the St. James Hospital for further medical tests.
Oliquiano said none of the riders was hurt in the incident.
“But there were some who complained of stiff neck,” he told the Inquirer.
He said the students on the ride were from the Polytechnic University of the Philippines in Batangas City, Holy Infant Jesus of Prague Catholic School in Biñan, Laguna, and Felizardo Lipana National High School in Guiguinto, Bulacan.
He said the students were not in an upside down position when the ride stalled.
“The [coaches] were actually slightly tilted on its side kaya hindi malaki ang danger na mahulog yung mga bata [which is why the danger that the kids would fall was not great],” Oliquiano said.
In a statement, the Enchanted Kingdom management said the “built-in safety harnesses and interlocking switches which activate when a temporary stoppage occurs” prevented the riders and the coaches from falling.
“These switches do not release while corrections are being applied, during and after unloading of the guests,” the statement said.
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