Kings Island amusement park shuts down roller coaster

MASON, Ohio (AP) — A roller coaster has been shut down at Kings Island amusement park because a chain that pulls the cars broke over the Fourth of July weekend.

Spokesman Don Helbig at the park near Cincinnati says the tow chain on the Vortex snapped as it was pulling one of the ride’s three trains up a hill with about 25 passengers on board.

They were evacuated safely. Helbig says they walked down steps alongside the track of the six-loop coaster that’s 148 feet tall at its highest point.

He says a replacement link has been ordered for the chain and that the 24-year-old ride should reopen in a few weeks.