Twelve rescued from rollercoaster at Hong Kong Disneyland

Twelve people were rescued from a rollercoaster in Hong Kong's Disneyland after the ride stopped working on Wednesday afternoon, police and fire services said after they deployed dozens of personnel to the site.

Police and fire services were called for assistance from 3:16 pm (0716 GMT) after the Disney ride Hyperspace Mountain stopped working. No injuries have been reported and there was no smoke or fire at the scene, a police spokeswoman said.

The passengers were removed from the ride within an hour, a fire services representative said. Around 40 firefighters had been deployed to Disneyland, located by Hong Kong's international airport, he said.

Disney said a delay in passenger boarding in the loading area of the ride had prevented the train from departing as scheduled.

"As a safety measure, the ride control system was triggered to stop the attraction. One of the vehicles, carrying 12 passengers was stopped in a position requiring fire department assistance," a company spokesperson said.

The ride was suspended immediately and will resume operations once checks are complete, the company said.

The Hyperspace Mountain ride is described on Disney's website as rocketing into a Star Wars battle. Key features include big drops and being plunged into darkness.

It was due to close for routine maintenance and inspection, from February 26 to March 1, according to a notice on the website.