Gyeongju World hit by second accident as roller coaster stalls mid-ride

Gyeongju World, the theme park already dealing with a gondola fall earlier this week, suffered another accident Saturday when its signature roller coaster stalled during operation.

At around 11 a.m. Saturday, Draken — a vertical-drop roller coaster at Gyeongju World in the Bomun tourism complex in Gyeongju — stopped on the track just before its steep descent.

Safety personnel manually operated the ride to evacuate all passengers to the ground. No injuries were reported.

Gyeongju World said it believes an automatic safety device designed to prevent derailment from foreign objects on the track triggered the stoppage. The park has suspended the ride and is investigating the cause.

The latest incident comes two days after a separate accident Thursday, when an empty gondola car on the Ferris wheel Time Rider derailed, fell and struck another car carrying passengers before hitting the ground.

The fallen cabin was unoccupied, but five visitors in the other car were taken to a hospital for medical checks.

A Gyeongju city official said the city would work with Gyeongju World to determine the exact cause of the accidents and take follow-up measures.