Firefighters had to rescue more than 50 people who were trapped in a theme park ride for more than an hour.

The Eagle, a 32 metre-high gondola ride at Attractiepark Slagharen in Overijssel, ground to a halt at around midday on Monday while 54 people were on board.

The visitors were rescued using a crane and taken to a catering tent to recover from the shock. Nobody was injured.

The ride has been closed while engineers investigate what caused the ride to stop moving. ‘That could be something very simple or it might mean it’s closed for longer,’ park director Dave Storm told AD. ‘I don’t expect it will, but we’ll see tomorrow.’