During the National Day holiday, a malfunction occurred in the zip line at the Baiyun Mountain Scenic Area in Guangzhou, and two groups of tourists were stranded in mid-air within three minutes, sparking concerns.
According to a video posted by netizens on October 2nd, a tourist riding the cable car got stuck midway without moving. The staff had to ride the cable car to rescue them. Shortly after, another tourist got stuck on a different line and was rescued by the staff using the cable car to pull them back.
On October 3rd, Baiyun Zip Line staff told the Xiaoxiang Morning News that indeed two groups of tourists were stranded on the zip line that day, but they were promptly rescued by the staff of the zip line project and safely returned to the platform unharmed.
Regarding the cause of the incident, the staff stated, “There was a bit of wind at that time, and lighter-weight tourists can get obstructed.”
The customer service staff at Baiyun Zip Line Center also mentioned that this project is passive and relies on the individual’s weight to slide. Sometimes, people with lighter weight might get stuck on the zip line when encountering a crosswind, which is considered a normal phenomenon.
Some netizens believe, “This is just an excuse. I’ve tried it in Zhejiang too, and the staff saw that you were light they added weight for you. This project relies on self-sliding.” “Our physics teacher told us that it’s only related to the coefficient of friction and angle.” “It looks very dangerous, but in reality, it’s not safe at all.”
The Baiyun Zip Line is 1500 meters long, making it the longest zip line in the country with a maximum speed of 90 kilometers per hour. According to the upstream news report, on January 20th of this year, there was also a case where someone playing the zip line at the Baiyun Mountain Scenic Area in Guangzhou was stranded in mid-air due to a sudden crosswind, and the tourist was suspended in the air for two to three minutes.