16 People Rescued After Being Stuck On SeaWorld San Diego Ride

SAN DIEGO (CBSLA) – More than a dozen people on several gondolas above water were trapped for several hours Monday night on a SeaWorld San Diego ride.

CBS affiliate News 8 reports among the 16 passengers were an infant and a partially paralyzed man who recently suffered a stroke. San Diego firefighters worked to rescue those trapped 80 feet above the frigid Mission Bay waters.

By 11:30 p.m. all passengers had been rescued.

Crews said each passenger had to be individually hoisted down from the gondolas.

A fire official said no injuries were reported.

According to SeaWorld, each gondola was equipped with blankets, and they were in contact with passengers via intercom, News 8 reports.

The SDFD said the weather was a factor as high winds seem to have caused the areal-tram problem.

SeaWorld issued the following statement:

Guest safety is paramount. Due to an unusual gust of significant wind, the operations of the Bayside Skyride stopped. A number of guests are currently on the Skyride seated in 5 gondolas. We are currently working with San Diego Fire & Rescue and the San Diego Lifeguards to evacuate the guests from the ride. We practice emergency evacuation procedures with local first responders annually. We are in contact with the guests via intercom, and they have been made aware of the evacuation procedures. There are also blankets on board each gondola. Evacuations will be conducted in accordance with the highest safety standards. All the guests are currently safe while awaiting evacuation. Guest safety is our top priority. Once our guests are cared for, we will conduct a thorough inspection of the ride prior to re-opening. We apologize for the inconvenience this has caused the guests.