CORRECTION -- 11/17/05 -- A story in Wednesday's Review-Journal incorrectly reported the cause of a power outage that left six tourists stuck on a ride atop the Stratosphere. The outage was caused by the crossing of power and phone lines, a utility spokeswoman said.
A power outage shut down rides atop the Stratosphere Tuesday night, leaving a group of Japanese tourists dangling more than 800 feet above the ground for about 90 minutes.
Electricity to the tower went out at 5:45 p.m. when a car hit a power transformer in the area, officials said. The tower went dark, and the rides that usually bounce, spin and teeter high above the Strip suddenly stopped.
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The six stranded tourists were aboard the X-Scream ride. It's the world's third highest thrill ride at 866 feet, according to the hotel's Web site. The ride "propels riders 27 feet over the edge of the Stratosphere Tower and dangles them over the Strip before pulling its riders back and over again for more!" the site says.
When the power went out, however, the ride didn't pull the riders back, and the tourists were stuck hanging over the ledge of the tower as temperatures dropped into the 50s and winds gusted at about 10 mph. The ride remained stuck until power was restored about 7:15 p.m., said Mike Gilmartin, a Stratosphere spokesman.
He said the ride was designed with a manual override that allows workers to bring the X-Scream back to the observation deck in emergencies, but he could not explain why the tourists weren't returned to safety until power came back on.
The Las Vegas Fire Department's heavy rescue team was called at 7:04 p.m. to help, but the tourists were safe by the time the team arrived.
Five of the tourists, four men and a woman, were taken to University Medical Center for treatment. While she waited in the emergency room, the woman sat bundled in a fleece jacket bearing the Stratosphere logo. The tourists declined interviews.
During the power outage, rides up to the observation deck atop the tower were shut down. When a group of about 20 Asian tourists learned of the closure, a collective groan filled the lobby.
The incident was the second in the past seven months that left thrill-seekers stranded on a Stratosphere ride.
In April, two cousins were stuck on Insanity for about 80 minutes before workers pulled them to safety.
Erica McKinnon, 18, and Gabriella Cecineros, 11, were alone on the last ride of the night when high winds reaching 61 mph caused the ride to stop. The girls were stuck 64 feet from the tower's observation deck and more than 900 feet above the ground.
The ride was designed to stop in high winds and would have returned had the winds subsided. But they didn't, so workers had to manually pull the ride back to the deck.
The ride, which spins riders on octopus-like arms, was closed for several days of inspections before reopening.
Review-Journal staff writer John G. Edwards contributed to this report.
