Dramatic footage shows riders stranded in their seats at an angle as several fire engines race to the scene.
Firefighters can then be seen being raised towards the trapped visitors on a teleboom before helping bring them back down to safety.
Crowds watching from behind a police cordon cheer as the thrill-seekers are finally lowered from the pendulum ride and walk away.
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The drama unfolded in Barcelona, Spain, at around midnight on Friday (18 September), according to eyewitness Brian Giner.
“I want to stress that it wasn’t that it broke, but rather that there was a fault with the ride,” he told Need To Know.
“They simply used the emergency brakes because when something goes wrong, the ride automatically stops so that the situation doesn’t get any worse.”
He said a sensor failure had caused the ride’s safety system to kick in.
Brian added: “The sensor failed, and what basically happened was that the ride became blocked – it stopped and the brakes were applied so that it wouldn’t become something more serious.
“So, that’s it: at all times, it wasn’t broken, it wasn’t damaged, and there was no risk because it was a safety brake.”
Footage of the unusual rescue sparked jokes and nervous reactions online.
One viewer said: “They probably stole the copper.”
Another person said: “I still don’t understand how people trust these fairground rides enough to get on them.”
And a third person commented: “Do they refund you the €5 entry fee?”
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