Inside eerie theme park abandoned for more than 10 years after teen tragically died
Eerie video footage has provided a rare glimpse into a theme park abandoned for more than 10 years after a teen tragically died there.
The Copa Copana Water Park in Athens was the site of one of the grimmest amusement park disasters in 2014 when a boy died while enjoying one of its attractions.
What promised to be a fun day out at the park, spanning 30,000 square metres, ended in tragedy as the 13-year-old and his sister, nine, were swept up by a gust of wind while playing inside a large inflatable ball.
They were flung from the surface of a pool about 30 metres into a metal barrier and rushed immediately to Agia Sofia Children's Hospital in Greece 's capital.
The boy died shortly after, having suffered severe head injuries, after doctors failed to resuscitate him, while his sibling was left critically injured and diagnosed with severe lung contusion.
Copa Copana's two managers were arrested in relation to the incident and officers commenced an investigation into whether safety issues played a role in the tragedy.
Greek police concluded the disaster was a result of both 'bad weather conditions and human error' and the park was swiftly closed for good.
Now a group of urban explorers have headed back to the park and discovered a creepy site, with the attraction's rides and slides still up, but barely a soul around.
Nature has well and truly taken control of the abandoned park, with huge spiralling plants intertwined with the twists and turns of the various defunct flumes.
With the facility tucked in between a hillside and a main road, the YouTubers, whose account Urbandoned has 138,000 subscribers, attempt to sneak into the site round the back.
After a walk through a forest of thick trees, the duo eventually see an abandoned ride peeking out from the undergrowth.
The park is well protected, with a layer of razor wire coating a fence and a small surrounding road, seemingly used by security staff.
They eventually squeeze beneath a small gap in the fence before exploring the spooky site.
Discarded piping and metal cover the park's grounds with thick weeds and plants dispersed between what were once incredibly popular rides.
Drone footage shows the slides gathering rust and moss and pools of stagnant water, filled with tadpoles, sitting in sections of the facility.
A climb to the top of one of the flumes offers expansive views of the surrounding mountains, city and the meandering metal rides.
As he walks down a path, overgrown with towering green plants, one of them describes Copa Copana as 'an actual jungle'.
The narrator explains that the park in its heyday boasted 13 rides as well as cafes and restaurants.
Bizarrely, they spot dozens of sun loungers and outdoor tables stowed away beneath one of the slides, a reminder of the fun experiences once had at the site.
It turns out they are not the first explorers to visit the abandoned park, with several rides seen covered in graffiti, sprayed on in the years since they were drained out.
A trip up a few flights of creaky stairs to the highest point in the facility allows one of the YouTubers to even get a spectacular view of the ocean, as well as the vast extent of the creepy site.
Poignant archive footage then shows Copa Copana at its happy peak several decades before, with hundreds of children and parents enjoying its attractions.
The group are initially surprised by the lack of security at the abandoned site but it turns out the guard had been resting on a sun lounger before ambling towards them.
The friendly member of staff allows them to stroll to the part of the park they have not yet seen as long as they then head for the exit.
Eerily, some of the lifeguard chairs and even cafe menus remain left exactly where they stood during Copa Copana's operational days.
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The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
My brother disappeared without a trace when I was 9… cruel schoolkids joked about finding body & I'm racked with guilt
SOPHIE Bryant has grown up with the tragedy of her missing brother hanging over her. She was just nine when Allan jr, 23, disappeared without a trace on a night out in 2013 - but she didn't quite understand then what was going on. 14 14 14 14 The now 20-year-old recalls her mum and dad, Marie and Allan sr, regularly speaking to the police and press, and growing more frantic for answers that have never come. Sophie, from Glenrothes, Fife, said a couple of years ago human remains were found and the family gloomily hoped they belonged to Allan jr. 'It feels bad saying we wish it was him, but if it was him maybe we'd have got a bit of closure,' she told The Sun. 'We think he's definitely… not alive,' she explained with a pause when asked if she still holds out hope. 'It's a good thought to think - that he's alive somewhere - but we know something bad has happened, or he would have been home by now.' Allan jr was picked up on CCTV leaving the town's Styx nightclub at around 2am on November 3 2013. The family has passed thousands of tip-offs over the years to Police Scotland, but ultimately without any luck. There is no video evidence yet released to indicate where exactly the young man went or what became of him. For Sophie, the night Allan jr disappeared started like any other Saturday booze-up for her brother. Him and his pals were pre-drinking at the Bryant home and then headed out for what was the Halloween weekend. They first went to an engagement party at Leslie Golf Club on the outskirts of town, and then to the nightclub. 'I can remember the weekend he didn't come back home,' said Sophie. 'I was just wondering where he went. I can't remember what the last thing was that I said to him. 'You never expect something like that to happen, so you don't necessarily recall that stuff. 'I just always think about what happened.' She went on to say: 'My parents did shield me from it a bit, they kept me out of the public eye when they were originally appealing for information.' Sophie can remember her mum and dad 'always' being on the phone to the police and would sometimes join them on searches as a child. Getting closer to finding out what happened to Allan jr often dominates home life. 14 14 14 'It's pretty much day to day, they're always talking about what they should do to keep him in the public eye,' Sophie said. 'They (her parents) try to live their lives as well, but I think sometimes we feel guilty about doing that.' She said such a feeling is contradictory because of how happy-go-lucky her brother was. 'He wouldn't want us not to be happy,' she admitted. A photo of Sophie aged just nine shows her holding up a missing person poster brandishing her brother's face. To her, Allan jr was her older sibling who teased her and who she play fought with her, but who always looked out for her. 'My memories of him are just really when we were playfighting and carrying on,' she said. 'He was my brother.' Family members have also told her that she shares mannerisms with Allan jr that no-one else does. 'I like that,' she said. A photo taken of the pair of them together on the family's porch is also something Sophie cherishes, but it's bittersweet. 'There's one that I quite like,' she said when asked if she had any photos of her and Alan jr. 'I was really quite young, so I don't remember it being taken, but it's a nice one. I know who 'murdered' my son, 23, on night out a decade ago... cops say he's missing but they need to probe vital clue By Ryan Merrifield A DESPERATE dad says he knows who 'murdered' his son, after he went missing over 12 years ago. Allan Bryant Jr disappeared while on a night out on November 3 2013, but he's never been found and no one ever brought to justice. The then-23-year-old was spotted on CCTV leaving Styx nightclub in Glenrothes, Fife, in Scotland, around 2am - but what happened next remains a mystery. Mr Bryant said he and his family have accepted his son is dead but he, Allan's mum Marie and sisters Amy and Sophie want closure. He told The Sun he's passed thousands of tip-offs over the years to Police Scotland, but ultimately without any luck. Mr Bryant said he 'begged' the force to release a clip of the CCTV video footage, which they finally did months after the disappearance. The determined dad is adamant he knows who killed his boy and hopes it is just a matter of time before someone comes forward with information that could lead to a conviction. He said: 'A lot of people have come forward and it all points in the same direction about what happened to Allan.' In 2015, the family was passed information to police which suggested Allan had gone to a house party after leaving the club. Two years later, cops searched a house in Glenrothes for 33 days as part of the investigation but nothing came of it. Mr Bryant later voiced fears that his son had been in contact with a crime gang weeks before he vanished. He told The Sun this week: 'We believe he went to a houseparty, something happened at a houseparty.' He said on studying the CCTV from the nightclub, it's clear Allan heads in a different direction than if he were going home. Mr Bryant believes those who may have witnessed what happened to his son remain too scared to speak to detectives. 'I believe that without a doubt. We just need that one bit of the jigsaw… everything stems from there,' he said. Mr Bryant and his family moved out of the home they'd lived in with Allan in 2018, but still regularly use the same local shops and haunts. He feels the mystery over his son's death has created a dark cloud over the town, with people avoiding him and even 'stare at Allan's mum' without speaking. 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He asked me for some money to go to an engagement party. He was in a really really happy mood.' Mr Bryant said he later spoke to a barman working at the golf club who said he had refused to sell Allan another alcoholic drink as he seemed too intoxicated. He said Allan had instead politely asked for a pint of water. Mr Bryant said his son's bedroom was left as it was for a while but eventually it was cleaned. 'It wasn't in the best state,' he joked, as Allan and his pals had left empty beer cans. 'It took a wee while.' One of Allan's sisters took a piece of the wallpaper from the bedroom when the family eventually moved out, and they kept some of his things, including his beloved Celtic top. Mr Bryant said he feels that police have been difficult ever since Allan vanished. 'They will only give me so much information because I don't think they trust me,' he said. 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The post goes on to say she 'couldn't fully comprehend' her brother's disappearance at the time, adding: 'The effect it has had on the full family is devastating, I can't even put into words how heartbroken we all are. 'It wasn't until I got a bit older I realised how serious this was.' Sophie went on to write that she feels 'bad' for not having as many memories of Allan jr as her older sister Amy 'but all the memories I do have are all good ones'. 'I just pray that one day people will come forward and we can finally get the closure that we need,' she added. The post finishes: 'Not knowing what has happened to Allan is the worst thing, it's unimaginable for any family to go through. 'It's a living hell not knowing what has happened to Allan.' Asked about her post, she told The Sun: 'I'd been thinking about doing one for a while, I just didn't know how to start it. 'But a lot of people said they were proud of me for doing it. 'I just need one person to come forward who knows something.' 14 14 14 14
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
'She-Hulk' bodybuilder found battered to death in suspected murder-suicide
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BBC News
3 hours ago
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