Pirates go from arrrr to arrrgh! The moment the platform collapses during a show at a maritime amusement park, sending acrobats plummeting, weeks after fire caused the closure of the same German theme park
- Accident occurred at Europa-Park in the town of Rust, near the French-Swiss border
- Artists and audience members were injured when a diving platform collapsed
Seven people were injured in an accident Monday at Germany’s biggest theme park, police said, the second alarming incident there in just three months.
The accident took place at the Europa-Park in the town of Rust, near the French and Swiss borders, when a mobile pool cracked and shattered the diving platforms attached to it.
The force sent several acrobats, who were performing a pirate show, spinning through the air before crashing into the water some 25 feet below.
Moments later, the stage collapsed, with various parts of the platform and scaffolding crumbling into the water, narrowly missing the defenseless and bewildered 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 further treatment.
The cause of the crash was not immediately clear.
Debris is seen floating in the water after the accident.
Injured performers are dragged out of the pool amid the wreckage of the platform.
The park is a popular tourist attraction, attracting more than 6 million visitors last year, mostly from Germany, France and Switzerland.
It has themed zones based on different European countries, and three based on fantasy settings. The park also hosts conferences and is a popular location for events and television productions.
But it has already suffered two worrying accidents in less than three months.
In June, a huge fire broke out, causing the evacuation of 25,000 people throughout the park.
Video footage showed a huge mushroom of black smoke billowing from inside the amusement park, as shocked visitors watched the flames from afar.
People were seen flocking away from the park as others stood around filming the flames.
‘He hit hard two or three times. After that, a big fire could be seen,” a witness said.
A huge fire has broken out in Europa-Park in Rust, southern Germany
Plumes of smoke were seen billowing from the amusement park as hundreds evacuated
A man claimed the fire had started on the Atlantica Supersplash track
Video footage from park goers shows the huge black clouds of smoke billowing out of the park.
Witnesses on social media described the chaos in the park as “terrifying.”
Europa-Park contains more than 100 different amusements, in the city of Rust in Baden-Württemberg.
The amusement park first opened in 1975, with different additions being added and improved over time.
Tickets are 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 occurred in the amusement park. A previous fire in 2018 saw witnesses report flames reaching 15 meters in height.
