20 stranded on amusement park ride

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BUENA PARK, Calif., Sept. 20 (UPI) -- A malfunctioning ride at California's Knott's Berry Farm left 20 people stranded hundreds of feet off the ground for hours, park officials said.

The WindSeeker, a 64-person gondola ride, stopped swinging mid-ride Wednesday when the safety security system activated, the amusement park said in a statement.

The ride halted at about 4 p.m. and passengers were safely lowered to the ground by 7:50 p.m., KABC-TV, Los Angeles reported. It wasn't clear what caused the malfunction, the park said.

"It was quite an experience," said rider Donna Garrison. "The first half an hour was pretty rough on me. I have a fear of heights. I was on it because my husband wanted to train me to get over my fear of heights. By the end, I was."

The same ride stranded 15 people Sept. 7 due to an inaccurate reading in an electrical safety switch, The Orange County (Calif.) Register reported.

No injuries or medical emergencies were reported in either incident.