A bird caused some hysteria when it stood on a safety sensor, leaving some two dozen riders suspended upside-down for 18 minutes.

Rollercoaster riders at one of Beijing's major amusement parks were left hanging upside-down for almost 20 minutes when a small bird perched itself on one of the ride's safety sensors.

The Happy Valley Amusement Park said it took 18 minutes to bring the 26 people on its most popular ride, the Crystal Wing, to safety during the rare incident on Saturday afternoon.

The rollercoaster was back in operation later in the day without a hitch.

The park said in a statement that a bird had landed on the sensor and in doing so activated an emergency procedure, immediately grinding the rollercoaster to a halt.

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Riders had initially thought the suspension was a heart-stopping part of the exhilarating ride.

Only after a few minutes did they start to panic when it was evident the ride had halted completely.

People hang upside down as a glitch causes the roller coaster to be stuck at Beijing's Happy Valley amusement park. pic.twitter.com/xE14zlunr4 — china-meat (@China_facts) March 20, 2016

A few patrons burst into tears as the group hung precariously at a height of 30 metres, said local reports.

The strong winds and cold temperature fuelled their terror, a college student told Beijing News.

No one suffered serious injuries, although there were reports of vomiting, dizziness and shock after people were brought to safety, according to The Beijinger.

The park offered the affected riders refunds on their tickets, and arranged for some of them to be taken to the hospital.

According to Beijing News, the park's marketing manager said the rollercoaster has been working without incident for 10 years.

On its website, Happy Valley park ironically describes the ride as "the feeling of flying like a bird".

- Stuff, AP