A faulty wave machine at a popular summer water park attraction in Jilin Province, China caused a 10-foot “tsunami” that swept away dozens of pool-goers.
The incident, which left 44 people injured, took place at the Yulong Shuiyun Water Amusement Park in the city of Longjing on Sunday, reports the
South China Morning Post.
Investigators say the machine for the wave pool malfunctioned and generated a powerful wave that hurled swimmers into each other and out of the pool.
“According to the initial stages of the investigation, the incident was caused by a power cut that damaged electronic equipment in the tsunami pool control room, which led to the waves in the tsunami pool becoming too big and injuring people,” said a statement from the Longjing city government.
A video surfaced online showing swimmers enjoying themselves in the wave pool before suddenly being confronted by the “tsunami” created by the wave machine.
In the clip, people can be heard screaming as the water splashed over the barrier, knocking some of them over.
Speaking to the Beijing Time, a spokesperson for the park stated that the freak accident was caused by a “mechanical fault,” noting that the attraction will be closed for a day for repairs. He also contradicted official reports and claimed that just 10 people had been hurt.
As of this writing, at least five people are still being treated at area hospitals, with some of them sustaining fractured ribs.
Featured image via YouTube / GoatWoW
Subscribe to
NextShark's Newsletter
A daily dose of Asian America's essential stories, in under 5 minutes.
Get our collection of Asian America's most essential stories to your inbox daily for free.
Unsure? Check out our Newsletter Archive.