A huge fire has broken out at Germany’s biggest theme park Europa-Park sparking a visitor evacuation, it has been reported.
Video footage showed a huge mushroom of black smoke billowing from inside the amusement park, as shocked visitors stood watching the flames from afar.
People were seen leaving the park, often dubbed the ‘Disney land of Germany’ while others stood filming the smoulder, with witnesses claiming there had been an explosion.
Police confirmed to German newspaper Bild that the huge blaze broke out at around 4.40pm local time resulting in 25,000 people being evacuated.
‘It banged loudly two or three times. After that a huge fire could be seen,’ an eyewitness said. The man claimed that the fire had broken out on the AtlanticaSupersplash track.
Local reports have said the the cloud of smoke had spread over the Austria-themed section of the park, with the Diamond Cave being most affected.
A huge fire has broken out at Europa-Park in Rust, South Germany
Plumes of smoke were seen billowing out of the amusement park as hundreds evacuated
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One man claimed that the fire had broken out on the AtlanticaSupersplash track
The fire is still being fought by a number of fire brigades and is now said to be under control. The exact cause remains unclear.
Another person who had been at the park wrote on Twitter: ‘Sad – fire in Europa Park in the Spanish area, luckily, we saw it just in time to leave the restaurant adjacent to the building.
‘Hope all the families and children are safe.’
A second person, who shared a video of the chaos, said: ‘Several explosions. Let’s pray that there are no injuries.’
While a third person wrote: ‘The diamond cave in Europapark is on fire. For now, we don’t know if anybody is hurt but the fire is already under control it seems. It was really impressive and frightening.’
Many are baffled as to what caused the fire. Another person asked: ‘What exactly is burning?’
Europa-Park is a huge theme park containing more than 100 different rides, in the town of Rust in Baden-Württemberg.
The amusement park was first opened in 1975, with different additions being added and improved over time.
Tickets cost between £40 and £300 and is located close to the border of France and Switzerland.
More follows.
