MELBOURNE: Melbourne’s big wheel has stopped turning after heat caused the Southern Star to buckle and crack.
The Victorian capital city suffered days of searing temperatures last week.
The A$100 million giant ferris wheel will remain closed indefinitely after shutting down as the company awaits a report into damage caused by a record heatwave.
The Southern Star is the second observation wheel to run into trouble.
In Singapore, the world’s biggest observation wheel, the Singapore Flyer, suffered a December 23 fire that trapped passengers for hours and led to a one-month shutdown of the attraction
A small electrical fire trapped 173 people inside the Flyer’s enclosed cabins until power was restored six hours later. Ten people were rescued using harnesses.
The Singapore Flyer has now resumed operations.
