44 people have been injured after a malfunction at a wave pool created a 10-foot tsunami.
The incident happened at Shuiyun Water Park, a popular tourist destination in Northern China.
Frightening footage shows pool goers screaming and swimming for their lives as the enormous wave rises, leaving the sides of the pool drenched.
An injured, bloodied swimmer can be seen lying by the side of the pool in the shocking footage.
One Twitter user uploaded a clip of the incident, claiming the ‘wave machine operator got drunk and turned the machine to it’s maximum setting’. The water park have since denied this unsubstantiated claim.
Others have questioned why there was a supposed ‘Tsunami setting’ in the first place, with one person questioning, ‘Why the hell would they even have a wave magnitude that high?’
Another puzzled person queried:
Why is there even an option to go that big? TF are the levels?
-NoWaves
-kiddyWaves
-NormalWaves
-SurferWaves
-KillEveryoneAndLeaveNoSurvivorsWaves
A Shuiyun Water Park spokesperson has made the following comments in a statement to local media:
It was caused by a mechanical fault. Only around 10 people were injured.
[…] The wave pool was closed for a day for repairs. It’s already been fixed and will be open tomorrow.
However, officials have said around 44 people have been injured. Three people are still being kept in hospital after suffering broken bones, as well as serious cuts and injuries.
As reported by the South China Morning Post, the Longjing city government has posted the following notice on Weibo:
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.
The malfunctioning wave pool has since been closed for inspection by authorities. It is unclear whether or not visitors were given a refund for their entry tickets, priced at around 100 CNY (roughly £12).
Shuiyun Water Park is part of the Yulong Bay Scenic Area, a summer resort in Longjing city, Jilin province.
The Yulong Bay Scenic Area first opened in 2015, and attracts around 500,000 tourists each year. As well as the wave pool, guests can enjoy attractions such as a glass-bottom bridge, a theme park, and horse riding facilities.
UNILAD wishes all those involved in this incident a full recovery.
If you have a story you want to tell send it to UNILAD via story@unilad.com
Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.