16 February 2024 , 14:04
916
0
A body was found inside the charred remains of a water park which was under construction at one of Sweden's biggest amusement centres, police said.
A huge fire on Monday destroyed a large part of the Oceana water park that was scheduled to open this summer in Goteborg, Sweden's second-largest city. Officers only were able to enter the site Friday and found a dead person there, but the individual's identity has not been confirmed, police said.
The fire at the popular Liseberg amusement complex spread over several water slides and the pool area of the water park. A nearby hotel and office facilities had to be evacuated. One person was reported missing from the fire and 16 were slightly injured.
Firefighters said they got the blaze under control on Tuesday but could not access part of the area because of the risk of a collapse. They said Friday that they were now "in the final stages" of their work.
Oceana was to include an indoor swimming area of almost 6,000 square metres and a 4,000-square-metre (4,780-square-yard) outdoor swimming facility. The venue was expected to accommodate up to 1,750 visitors at a time. Liseberg, which opened in 1923, is a popular tourist destination with some three million visitors a year.
Model told to cover up at theme park as 'big breasts make people uncomfortable'
Firefighters work from a ladder platform as a fire engulfs a structure of the Oceana Waterworld (TT News Agency/AFP via Getty Ima)Speaking on Monday night, a witness said the blaze reduced the ride's structure into "nothing but a skeleton", with firefighters struggling to bring the flames under control. The cause of the blast is not yet confirmed.
The alarm was raised about the fire at around 10am local time - with the explosion understood to come seconds later. The fire service warned the flames could spread to nearby residences, according to local press. Firefighter Björn van der Kaay said: "We know that there are fires in water slides, among other things, but we don't know how it started."
People living in neighbouring homes have been advised to close their windows to avoid inhaling toxic fumes, with nearby Liseberg's Grand Hotel Curiosa, as well as several apartment and office buildings evacuated. Witnesses described there being a "burnt plastic" smell. Police spokesperson August Brandt told Swedish media: "It is important that the public stays away from the site."
Rescue services spokesman Klas Lüppert told SVT on Monday: "There is a lot of plastic in the construction. So (the smoke) is not healthy to inhale. That's why we're going out with a public health warning." An employee of the site, who wished to remain anonymous, told SVT the explosion was so intense that it was felt in adjacent buildings.