Angry Crowds Storm Disneyland Over Ticket Row

HONG KONG (AFP) – Angry scenes shattered the holiday mood at Hong Kong Disneyland as hundreds of ticket-holders rushed the gates after being told the park was full, according to officials and TV reports. Scores of visitors, many of them mainland Chinese visiting the resort during the Lunar New Year holiday week, scaled the sharp railings of the locked gates to get to rides while others scuffled with staff. Cable television showed security guards looking on helplessly as the irate crowd, most of whom had paid HK 300 dollars (US$38) for their tickets, surged towards the amusement park. The scenes of mayhem followed heated arguments the day before between Disney officials and visitors after the new ticketing scheme left hundreds stranded outside. The "flexible" ticket system allows customers to visit any time within a six-month period but doesn't guarantee entry on days when the park is full. A Disneyland spokeswoman played down the incident. "It was brought under control very early on after we sorted out the problem and let the people in," she told AFP. The company refuses to reveal attendance figures for the park, which has a daily capacity of 30,000. Since opening it has only publicly declared itself sold out on eight days.