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Tourists get trapped inside St Louis' famous Gateway Arch after trams break down while carrying them to top
What was supposed to be a 60-minute ride around the Gateway Arch turned into a disaster after a technical malfunction left two dozen tourists stranded at the top of the famous landmark.
The incident occurred around 3:18 p.m. when five or six trams became stuck in the north leg of the iconic landmark, reports Public Information Officer for the park Pam Sanfilippo.
Park officials said passengers were stranded about 100 feet below the observation deck and were eventually evacuated by firefighters after two hours around 5:15 pm.
Luckily, passengers were able to evacuate with no injuries reported.
While mechanics initially attempted to rectify the issue, the fire department was summoned after an hour had passed.
What was supposed to be a 60-minute ride around the Gateway Arch turned into a disaster after a technical malfunction left two dozen tourists stranded at the top of the famous landmark
The incident occurred around 3:18 p.m. when five or six trams became stuck in the north leg of the iconic landmark, reports Public Information Officer for the park Pam Sanfilippo
Park officials stated that passengers remained calm throughout the ordeal and were kept informed via the tram's public address system.
'I just thought that it would be a bump…we just waited,' Sarah Ka told Fox2Now shortly after being evacuated. 'I'm relieved now that I'm safe.
The cause of the malfunction is currently under investigation, and the north leg of the Arch remains closed until repairs are complete.
'This time of year, we start running one tram since school is back in session and things are winding down,' Sanfilippo told the St. Louis Dispatch,
As a result of the incident, all affected passengers received refunds for their $15 tickets.
'We hope that never happens again,' Sanfilippo said. 'We try to make it up to them when we can.'
The Gateway Arch typically operates one tram during the slower post-school season. Each tram can accommodate up to five people, and the journey to the top normally takes four minutes.
Park officials said passengers were stranded about 100 feet below the observation deck and were eventually evacuated by firefighters after two hours around 5:15 pm
Luckily, the tram stopped 100 feet from the loading zone, so passengers were able to evacuate with considerable ease and no injuries were reported (Pictured: the inside of a tram that goes around the St. Louis Gateway Arch)
A similar incident occurred in June 2022 when an electrical outage halted a tram near the Arch's peak.
This is the second time in two years that passengers have been stranded in the Arch trams. A similar incident occurred in June 2022 due to an electrical outage.
'We like to be safe,' she said. 'It's not a frequent thing at all.'