A group of middle school students was left dangling upside down for over a minute when a giant amusement park pendulum ride froze at its highest point due to an ultra-rare weight balance glitch.

The incident happened in Hangzhou, a city in the eastern Chinese province of Zhejiang, at the city’s popular theme park on Monday, 28th April.

A video shared online shows the ride swinging like a giant pendulum before coming to an abrupt stop at its peak, leaving all 54 riders stuck hanging in the air.

Tourists were suspended upside down for around 60 seconds, triggering symptoms of discomfort including nausea and head congestion, especially among the young students.

The affected children were part of a school group visit and were the only ones on the ride at the time, park staff confirmed.

One user posted: "We had a friend who came down with a blue face and weak legs."

A pendulum in the Hangzhou amusement park in China stays suspended in the air for about a minute, April 28, 2025. . After inspection there was no problem with the amusement equipment. Note: Photo is a screenshot from a video. (AsiaWire/NX)

Another tourist wrote: "After my colleague came down, he vomited for a long time."

Park officials said the ride stopped because the weight of passengers on both sides was exactly equal, triggering a safety protection mechanism that prevented the pendulum from swinging back down.

They stressed it was not a mechanical failure or accident, but a one-in-ten-thousand probability event.

A staff member said: "It’s like a balance.

"If one side is heavier, it tilts and returns; this time, the balance was perfect."

The ride’s emergency system activated, switching the machinery into manual mode to slowly bring the riders back down.

The park spokesperson said: "The equipment was inspected immediately. We found no issues, and remote checks by the manufacturer also confirmed it was operating normally."

All riders were medically assessed on-site and no injuries were reported.

The park said it would cover any follow-up medical expenses and use the incident to optimise its emergency protocols and staff response procedures.

Park officials apologised for the experience but reiterated the pendulum ride remains safe and operational.

(MJ Leidig/newsX)