A WOMAN who spent 20 minutes trapped upside down in a rollercoaster carriage has told how she feared a family day out would end in tragedy.

Emma Johnson, 26, and her ten-year-old sister, Amy, were left dangling 50ft from the ground when the Mumbo Jumbo ride at Flamingo Land, near Malton, North Yorkshire, ground to a halt on Monday afternoon.

The sisters, from Sunderland, were enjoying a bank holiday outing at the theme park, with their parents, Anne and Derek.

Miss Johnson, an administration assistant, told of the terror she and her sister faced when the ride malfunctioned.

She said: “It was so frightening, I am still getting flashbacks.

“Every time I close my eyes, I can see us hanging upside down.

“I was terrified the restraints would fail and we would come crashing down, it was awful.

“I’ve never experienced anything like it.

“When we got stuck, Amy was crying, but afterwards she was fine.

“She has been telling her mates at school all about it.

“I was calm when I was up there, because I knew I had to be strong for Amy.

“It all came out when I got down.”

Miss Johnson praised staff at the park for being quick to mount a rescue operation, but added that she would avoid rollercoasters in future.

She said: “The staff were great, they came straight away with the cherry picker.

“Apparently were up there for 20 minutes, but it seemed like a lot longer at the time.

“We both loved rollercoasters, but I will be steering clear from now on.”

The sisters’ ordeal happened towards the end of their day out, during which they had earlier ridden the £4m ride – billed as the world’s steepest rollercoaster – without incident.

Miss Johnson said: “It was fine when we were on it earlier, but seemed slower the second time.

“I am glad it happened at the end of the day.

“If it had been earlier, I would have had to have gone home.

“I couldn’t even have a drink afterwards, because I was driving.”

The ride malfunctioned after a poncho got stuck in its mechanism.

A park spokesman said: “Flamingo Land deeply regrets this freak occurrence, but would like to emphasise no one’s safety was at risk.

“As a goodwill gesture, we would like to invite Emma and Amy back to Flamingo Land.”

The Health and Safety Executive is investigating.