Pirates go from arrrrr to arrrgh! Moment platform collapses during sea-faring amusement park show, sending acrobats plummeting – weeks after blaze caused same German theme park to close
Pirates go from arrrrr to arrrgh! Moment platform collapses during seafaring amusement park show, causing acrobats to plummet – weeks after fire forced same German theme park to close
- The accident took place in the Europa-Park in the town of Rust, near the French-Swiss border
- Performers and spectators were injured when a diving platform collapsed
Seven people were injured in an accident at Germany’s largest theme park on Monday, police said – the second alarming incident there in just three months.
The accident occurred in the Europa-Park in the town of Rust, near the French and Swiss borders, when a mobile swimming pool burst and ripped apart the diving platforms attached to it.
The force sent several acrobats, performing a pirate show, tumbling through the air before crashing into the water some 25 feet below.
Moments later, the stage collapsed, with several parts of the platform and scaffolding crumbling into the water, narrowly missing the helpless and stunned performers.
Police said five performers and two visitors were injured in the accident, adding that three of the performers were taken to a hospital for additional treatment.
The cause of the accident was not immediately clear.
In the aftermath of the accident, debris floats in the water
Injured performers drag themselves out of the pool amidst the platform’s wreckage
The park is a popular tourist attraction that attracted more than 6 million visitors last year, mainly from Germany, France and Switzerland.
It has themed areas based on different European countries, and three based on fantasy settings. The park also hosts conferences and is a popular venue for events and television productions.
But it has now had two worrying accidents in less than three months.
A major fire broke out in June, prompting a park-wide evacuation of 25,000 people.
Video footage showed a huge plume of black smoke billowing from the theme park as shocked visitors watched the flames from afar.
People were seen leaving the park en masse while others filmed the flames.
“It banged loudly two or three times. Then there was a huge fire,” said an eyewitness.
A huge fire has broken out in Europa-Park in Rust, southern Germany
Plumes of smoke were seen billowing from the theme park as hundreds were evacuated
A man claimed the fire broke out on the Atlantica Supersplash course
Video footage from park visitors shows huge black clouds of smoke rising from the park
Witnesses on social media described the chaos in the park, calling it ‘frightening’
Europa-Park contains more than 100 different attractions, in the town of Rust in Baden-Württemberg.
The amusement park first opened in 1975, with several additions added and improved over time.
Tickets cost between £40 and £300 and are located close to the border of France and Switzerland.
It is not the first time that a fire has broken out at the amusement park. In a previous fire in 2018, witnesses reported flames that were 15 meters high.