"Over 1 Hour Suspended in Air?"... 'Domestic Longest Zipline' Sudden Stop Accident 'Dizzying'

On April 25th, visitors to Daebongsan Recreation Valley in Hamyang-gun, Gyeongnam, are taking photos with their mobile phones while riding the zipline. Photo by Yonhap News.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Soyoung] A thrilling accident occurred when the zipline at Daebongsan Leisure Valley in Hamyang-gun, Gyeongnam, known as the longest in the country, stopped operating mid-ride, leaving two passengers suspended in the air for over an hour.

According to Hamyang-gun on the 7th, two male passengers in their 30s to 40s who were riding the zipline on the afternoon of the 6th were rescued around 5:12 PM, about 1 hour and 10 minutes after the device stopped working at approximately 4 PM.

The total length of this zipline is 3.27 km, and the operation stopped when they had passed the 1.9 km point.

It was determined that the braking device was activated as the two passengers rotated and descended, gaining acceleration due to their weight.

Hamyang-gun explained that the accident occurred at a difficult-to-access midpoint, which delayed the rescue. This zipline can accommodate up to 250 kg regardless of the number of passengers, and the combined weight of the two passengers was reported to be between 160 kg and 170 kg.

A Hamyang-gun official expressed regret over the accident occurring at a facility managed by the county and stated, "We will strive to establish measures to prevent recurrence, including improving rescue equipment."

Daebongsan Leisure Valley in Hamyang-gun, boasting the longest monorail and zipline in the country, opened on April 21.

Meanwhile, on the 28th of last month, the monorail stopped for about 20 minutes due to thunder and lightning caused by bad weather, causing anxiety among about 20 passengers.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.