HONG KONG - A bungee jumper was rescued by personnel from the Fire Services after he was left dangling in mid-air for an hour on Monday (Jan 29) at the Macau Tower entertainment complex.
The 30-year-old Chinese man, who holds a Russian passport, had jumped from a platform 233m above ground, but found himself suspended at about 55m above ground, amid low temperatures of 7 to 8 deg C, according to Macau and Hong Kong media reports.
He suffered temporary paralysis in one foot and was taken to hospital, Macau Daily Times said.
He was conscious and shivering when rescued by firefighters, suffering "slight symptoms of hypothermia", Kong Iat Fu, deputy chief of Macau's Fire Services Department, told the South China Morning Post.
He said 34 firefighters, medical staff and operations commanders rushed to the scene in eight firefighting trucks after the authorities were alerted to the incident at about 2.40pm.
Two firefighters climbed a 70m-aerial ladder to reach the man, while several others went to the Adventure Deck, where the platform is located, to conduct the rescue, Kong added.
The accident occurred when the man had completed his jump and was being lowered to the ground, the Post cited a statement by the Macau Tower.
It is believed to have been caused by a system failure, Macau Daily Times said.
Preliminary investigation by AJ Hackett, the jump's operator, suggested that the cold weather may have triggered the activation of a safety system, causing the man to be suspended mid-air. Investigation is ongoing.
The Macau Tower Bungy Jump is the highest commercial bungy jump in the world, said the Guinness World Records.
Using "2nd generation bungy cord", "jumpers leap from a platform 233m above the ground and experience the ultimate free fall experience before slowing down 30m from the ground and rebounding back up", according to the official webpage of the Macau Tower, which is 338m tall.
The guide cables system ensure jumpers "do not make contact with the tower and enable bungy jumps to happen in nearly all weather conditions", it said.
