Water park in Sweden explodes into massive fireball sparking mass evacuation | World | News

Dramatic pictures have captured the moment a water park in Sweden erupted into a massive fireball after it exploded this morning.

The blazing inferno broke out at Oceana Waterworld, in Gothenburg, Sweden today (February 12) and tore through the structure. Plumes of thick black toxic smoke trailed into the sky.

Police and fire officials could not immediately say whether there were any casualties.

Amelie Winberg, a spokeswoman for NCC group that is the general contractor for the construction, told Swedish broadcaster SVT that a subcontractor was doing some installations when the blaze started.

The fire department urged people in the area affected by the smoke to stay indoors and close doors, windows, and ventilation, and listen to the local radio.

There were scores of fire vans and police cars on the scene.

A nearby hotel and office facilities were evacuated, the park and police said. At least three explosions sent debris from buildings scattered over the burning waterslides.

The fire broke out at the 1.2billion kronor (£91.2million) Oceana water park, which had been scheduled to open this summer.

Liseberg, in downtown Goteborg, opened in 1923 and is a popular tourist destination with some 3 million visitors a year.

The idea behind Oceana was inspired by the history of Goteborg, founded in 1621 by King Gustav II Adolf. The city became an important trade place for Sweden.

Once completed, Oceana was to include an indoor swimming area of almost 6,000 square meters (7,176 square yards) and a 4,000-square-meter (4,780-square yards) outdoor swimming facility. Plans also call for a restaurant and a hotel. The park said up to 1,750 guests can visit the water world at a time.

Last month, water started filling the pools in the Oceana Water World, and Liseberg estimated it took four days to fill them.