Swedish amusement park fire: One person missing as firefighters struggle to control blaze

Swedish rescue services said on Tuesday they were still battling a blaze more than 24 hours after a blaze broke out at the country’s largest amusement park.

One person is still missing after a fire broke out at the Oceana water park, which is still under construction, at the Liseberg amusement park in the western city of Gothenburg on Monday.

A spokesman for Gothenburg’s emergency services told SVT television that firefighters said earlier on Tuesday that the fire had been brought under control, but it broke out again that evening.

The fire “occurred again and we have alerted new units. It was detected quickly as we were on site,” the spokesman said, adding that there was no risk of transmission.

Rescue services earlier warned that efforts to extinguish the blaze were hampered by the risk of building collapse.

Still no trace of the missing person.

Per Nyqvist of Gothenburg’s rescue service told a news conference: “We have searched spaces that we have access to that we consider safe… (and) we have not found anyone yet.”

Nyquist said the fire likely started at a water attraction outside the main building and then spread “throughout the building.”

Images on Monday showed a fireball exploding, flames and several explosions tearing apart a water slide, sending a layer of black smoke rising over the city.

Niklas Sparw, head of construction operations at NCC Construction, said on Tuesday it was too early to speculate on the cause of the fire.

“Given that this was an exceptional incident, we need to conduct a proper investigation before we can speculate on what happened,” Spaff told reporters.

Police said an investigation was launched into gross negligence and workplace offences.

Sixteen people sought treatment for minor injuries, but none required hospitalization, according to police.

(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from associated news agency – AFP)