Doomsday Destroyer temporarily stopped upside down

A brief stoppage on Movie World's Doomsday Destroyer thrill ride saw riders temporarily held upside down in an event that the Gold Coast theme park described as ride safety operating systems automatically engaging.

At approximately 12:30pm today, Doomsday Destroyer briefly stopped in an upside down position, leaving riders suspended for a number of minutes.

In a statement Warner Bros. Movie World provided to Nine News, riders were upside down for three minutes and 25 seconds as a result of "ride safety operating systems" automatically engaging.

Doomsday Destroyer opened in 2016. It was built by leading ride manufacturer Intamin, a Swiss firm that has built hundreds of rides around the world including many of the world's most technically advanced and top-rated roller coasters.

The ride features two arms of 16 riders each that perform steady, controlled 360° rotations. Like most modern rides designed by industry-leading ride manufacturers, Doomsday Destroyer features multiple layers of redundant and interconnected safety systems that ensure the safe and reliable evacuation in rare occurences such as this.

The length of time stopped upside down is unusual and certainly undesirable – rides like Doomsday Destroyer typically only suspend riders upside down for a few seconds at a time before the sensation of rushing blood to the head starts to become uncomfortable. There were however no reports of any injuries among those on board, though a witness told Nine News that riders were "crying, shaken up and red faced" following the incident.

In a video released by Village Roadshow Theme  Parks (owners of Movie World) in May 2017, the company stated that guests collectively take approximately 12.4 million rides each year at their parks, and there is a 0.0004 per cent chance that you'll experience what the company terms a ride unload.