It's hard to see how a multi-thread wire cable would snap. I know that elevators are built with the highest factor of safety (16:1), whereas planes are built with the lowest factor of safety (1.5:1). I'm assuming the FOS for thrill rides is up there with elevators. (The "factor of safety" means that the structure is built assuming a load of X times the failure load.)
My guess would be that a connector failed, or that there was some failure in maintenance. It's hard to imagine that the design was flawed, but it is possible.
I've ridden a similar ride at Six Flags in Massachusetts. Don't know if I will again. Just tragic.
Oops! The factor of safety is defined as, “The ratio between the breaking load on a member, appliance, or hoisting rope and the safe permissible load on it.”
I think it's a lot like when you break spaghetti strands into smaller pieces, tough to bend until one breaks, then they all break. And while it is tough to break steel cable, it does happen.
And from the images I saw on TV, it was the cable itself that snapped. Having taken physics classes in High School, I remember enough to steer clear of anything where my life depends on a hydraulic line or a cable swooshing me about in the air.