The flight of an inflatable structure on Sunday July 30 in a water park located in Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume in the Var caused the death of one person, a 35-year-old adult. Her 3-year-old daughter’s vital prognosis was still engaged as of Monday morning.
[Updated July 31, 2023 at 12:39 p.m.] A dramatic accident claimed the life of an adult and injured a 3-year-old child on Sunday in the Var at the site of a Wonderland Waterpark amusement park offering water activities. An inflatable structure present in the park flew away while two people were inside: an adult and his 3.5-year-old child. The mother of the family was also present at the scene.
On the night of Monday July 31, the mayor of Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume, where the park had opened this summer, announced the death of the adult, the 35-year-old dad. “The firefighters and other rescuers arrived very quickly on the scene, but the situation was already critical when the two victims were airlifted to Marseille hospitals. I nevertheless hoped for a positive outcome and it is with great sadness that I I learned late in the evening that the dad had not survived”, explained the mayor, Alain Decanis, in a publication posted on Facebook.
An investigation for “injury and manslaughter” has been opened. According to the first statements of the firefighters present on the spot on Sunday, the inflatable structure, which measured about twenty meters long and wide, moved about 50 meters, trapping the two people there. The park, called Wonderland Waterpark, opened this summer. The park’s Facebook page announces its closure for two days “in solidarity for the victims and the families”.
The message also goes back to the circumstances of the tragedy, with park officials referring to “an unexpected devastating tornado”. The Var department was placed on fire red vigilance on Sunday, due to a “rise in temperatures, a drop in humidity, with strong winds locally, and still a marked drought”, specified Météo-France.
