Southend Adventure Island rollercoaster 'shook violently' before breakdown

A rollercoaster passenger said the ride "shook violently" before it broke down and left him facing the sky.

A carriage on Rage at Adventure Island in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, got stuck at the top of the 72ft (22m) high attraction on Friday.

The theme park said its "highly trained team immediately initiated our ride evacuation plan".

Jason Patch, who was on board with his stepson, told BBC Essex it was "pretty scary" but praised rescuers.

He said: "Just before we got to the top, there was a shudder and we heard something snap or break and we just froze.

"Laying on your back, facing the sky, it was pretty scary. But the scariest part for me was when they took the thing off of you that goes over your shoulders to hold you on to the ride.

"But the guys who came up were really good and secured us with a harness."

The theme park said its "highly trained team immediately initiated our ride evacuation plan"

A loud banging sound could be heard on video of the ride as it approached the summit and footage showed a team rescuing passengers.

Everyone was evacuated and safely returned to the ground within 40 minutes, the park said.

The rollercoaster is at Adventure Island, pictured right of the pier, in Southend-on-Sea

It added "a carriage on Rage stopped on the lift" and "all passengers were returned to the ground, safe and sound and reunited with their families".

Rage is advertised as Adventure Island's "biggest and best" rollercoaster - with "loops, twists, and flat-out speeds".