A safety accident occurred at a tourist site in Yeosu, Jeollanam-do, where the descent experience facility 'Zip Coaster' stopped.
At around 11:30 am on the 17th, Mr. A, who boarded the zip coaster at a tourist facility in Dolsan-eup, Yeosu-si, stopped in the middle of a pulley less than a minute after departure.
Mr. A had to wait for rescue by hanging at a height of 8 m for about 35 minutes.
Mr. A felt fear, but his children were watching, so he pretended to be calm and waited for rescue.
Staff were said to have brought a mobile lift for rescue, but appeared unskilled in handling the machine.
Anxious, Mr. A asked, "Shouldn't you call 119?", but the staff is known to have replied, "We can rescue you first", "I've called 119 before, but the rescue time was similar."
Mr. A, who was suspended in the air and heard that he had called 911 after an accident before, had to fall into greater anxiety and fear.
In fact, this facility is also where a man in his 30s was rescued by firefighters after hanging from a height of 6m for 40 minutes after a pulley caught in the middle while riding a zip coaster on the 4th.
▲ Person A being rescued by a mobile lift
In the end, the staff, who were confused, started the rescue by asking someone how to operate the lift over the phone, and Mr. A was able to get down to the ground in 35 minutes.
Mr. A said, "I was hanging in the air and my heart was trembling and scared as time was delayed, but the staff just said, 'I'm not falling'. ' he exclaimed.
The facility said that it is a non-powered device, so the speed may vary depending on the weight and wind of the occupant, but the facility is also investigating the possibility that the speed reduction device did not work properly.
In addition, he said that he had been training on the use of lift equipment and was actually using it, and did not mention in detail about his inexperience in operating rescue equipment.
An official from the facility said, "There was nothing wrong with riding normally. However, there are times when I am affected by a headwind when I go around a rotating section, so for safety reasons, I stop the operation and check the rails and speed reduction devices with the designer."
Although safety accidents are occurring one after another, the safety management system is weak. This is because zip-coaster and zip-line facilities are not designated as amusement facilities such as amusement rides under the Tourism Promotion Act, so they are not subject to the management and supervision of local governments.
A bill related to the safety management of leisure facilities is pending in the National Assembly.
Earlier this year, Democratic Party lawmaker Song Jae-ho proposed the 'Partial Amendment to the Special Act on the Safety and Maintenance of Facilities' to strengthen the safety management of leisure facilities such as ziplines and bungee jumping, but it has not been passed so far.
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(Photo = Yonhap News)