A tourist became trapped in an Australian attraction known as the "Cage of Death" with crocodiles circling beneath her.
Dutch woman Cynthia Spaan entered the perspex cylinder in the nightlife area of the city of Darwin on Monday. The cage, a popular tourist attraction in the area known as Crocosaurus Cove, is meant to lower with a spectator safely inside into a pit of hungry crocodiles.
Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned for Spaan. The cage got stuck and she was left hanging for half an hour, while two crocodiles named William and Kate -- after the royal couple -- lurked below, according to ABC News.
Tourist trapped in croc cage of death. pic.twitter.com/IIIuAx0I5B— Steven Schubert (@senorschubert) June 8, 2015
Power tools were used to cut the top off the cylinder, allowing Spaan to climb up a ladder to freedom. "In the beginning I thought it was really funny because I really wanted to do the cage dive so it was kind of OK," she told ABC News. "But after five minutes I started a little bit freaking out, because I'm a little bit claustrophobic."
Looks like there were actually two #crocodiles in he tanks a #Dutch tourist was suspended over pic.twitter.com/uG0AnC4dY9— Steven Schubert (@senorschubert) June 8, 2015
Crocodiles a #Dutch tourist was trapped over are William and Kate, renamed for the #Royal wedding pic.twitter.com/QzPnznGVoz— Steven Schubert (@senorschubert) June 8, 2015
The dive normally runs for 15 minutes, and allows the viewer to take in a 360 degree view of the crocodiles. "Regular feeding by our crocodile handlers when people are inside the cage encourages more movement from the crocodiles and ensures an up close and personal, face to face encounter that must be seen to be believed," the Crocosaurus Cove's website states.
Monday's incident isn't the first time the cage has lived up to its terrifying name. In 2011, the "Cage of Death" plummeted to the bottom of the crocodile pool with two people inside, when a cable broke. The duo were pulled to safety and the park's manager dismissed the incident as a minor hiccup.