Part of the iconic Astrotower on Coney Island has had to be demolished after concerns about the tower’s stability was raised when it started swaying heavily in the wind.

The 50-year-old observation tower, which stood at around 270ft (82m), was deemed unstable by the Department of Buildings and New York’s Office of Emergency Management, causing the theme park to be evacuated on Tuesday.

A 250ft (23m) ‘collapse zone’ was set up around the tower and saw the temporary closure of the park’s Wonder Wheel and Cyclone roller coaster.

The tower has so far been cut by 53 feet (16m) with plans to continue dismantling the tower while the park is closed.

It used to have a circular elevator, which was recently removed and seems to have been the cause of the problems for lack of stability.

The Astrotower, which was installed in 1964, has not been in use since 2010.

The closure came at an inopportune time with the park not being re-opened till 3pm on 4 July – the American Independence Day.