After a terrible accident took the life of a child at a waterpark, the attraction quickly shut, and it has stood abandoned ever since – but the eerie place looks as though everyone visiting simply vanished
An urban explorer has revealed what it was like to visit an abandoned waterpark after a tragic accident saw it shut down completely.
It was a Sunday afternoon in April, and two siblings were playing together at a waterpark in Southern Athens. The winds were up, and there had been a lot of rain over the weekend – but some bad weather is never that likely to stop excitable children from making the best of things, especially on a family day out like this one.
The two children climbed into a large inflatable ball, that was floating on the surface of the water that filled a large swimming pool. Around them were slides of every shape and size: from the thrill-inducing tallest where guests could see the whole surrounding landscape, with mountains trailing off in the distance, to the smallest, where even the younger children visiting the waterpark could safely play.
There were rafts, flying boats, and much more to enjoy at the Copa Copana waterpark, which at 30,000 square metres was one of the very largest attractions of its kind in the area.
As the children – the boy, 13, and his younger sister, nine, – played inside the inflatable ball, the winds suddenly increased in speed and strength. With the pair of siblings inside, the inflatable was picked up from the surface of the pool and flung 30 metres (100 feet) away – smashing straight into a metal barrier.
The children were rushed to hospital, and the 13-year-old boy, having suffered massive head injuries, was unconscious on arrival. The medical team sprung into action, and attempted to resuscitate him – per the Greek Reporter – but with no success, he was tragically pronounced dead. His younger sister was also critically injured – and was treated in the ICU for a severe lung contusion.
Back at the waterpark, the local police detained the two managers who oversaw the facility, and the owner, as they began to investigate whether safety issues at the popular attraction had contributed to the tragic death of the young boy.
The Greek police have said that they believe the awful accident occurred because of a combination of “bad weather conditions and human error.” The Copa Copana swiftly closed its doors and has never reopened.
Urban explorer and photographer Ioanna Sakellarak, 34, ventured into the “creepy” abandoned water park four years later, and claimed that the place had a seriously eerie atmosphere – with all the attractions still in good condition, it was as if by magic all the visitors had simply vanished.
“It’s a really creepy feeling,” she said in 2018, about her visit to the abandoned park, noting that despite some areas of overgrown plants, and the fact some of the pools were drained, it seemed as if people had only just left the attraction.
The photographer also said about her trip to capture images of the abandoned waterpark, “I am interested in exploring the fine line between isolation and the connection humans have with places.”