“It feels very tragic, it really does.”
Fire and Water
Dramatic footage of an under-construction water park catching fire and exploding is circulating on social media.
One video making the rounds shows massive clouds of black smoke billowing from a flaming water slide. At one point, a visible explosion sends debris flying.
The tragedy took place earlier today in Gothenburg, Sweden, at the Oceana waterpark, a new addition to an amusement facility at the city’s Liseberg amusement park.
It’s still unclear what actually caused the blaze.
“The fire started at one of the water rides outside the building and then spread to the entire building,” Liseberg said in a statement.
In Flames
Fortunately, no serious injuries have been reported, per Reuters, but police noted that one man was missing and 12 people were mildly injured. A nearby hotel was evacuated and law enforcement warned people in the area to stay indoors due to smoke.
The Oceana addition reportedly cost $10.6 million to build and was set to feature 14 water attractions, covering almost 150,000 square feet. However, it was “completely destroyed” according to Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet. Only the steel structure of the burnt-down water slide remains.
“It feels very tragic, it really does,” architect Gert Wingård told the newspaper, as translated by Google. “It’s always tragic when accidents happen and this was quite close to the inauguration as well.”
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