Dangerous 38-metre slide in Spanish resort town closes a day after opening

End of a battered old playgraound slide

A steep 38-metre slide connecting two streets in a Spanish resort town has been closed a day after opening over safety complaints.

The Guardian reported on Sunday that authorities had deemed the slide – a whacky means of bridging a 10-minute walk between two streets – in the Spanish town of Estepona, on the Costa del Sol, unsafe after complaints.

Comprised of a stainless-steel chute reportedly the longest in Spain, the slide is intended to “give residents of all ages a quick way to travel between the streets”.

The slide was unveiled on Thursday but shut the following day after people complained of injuries, with some reporting their bruises on social media.

A video posted by The Guardian showed several users hurtling down the slide, with some carrying bags and children and others flying off the end of the chute.

 

One user joked that “in Estepona they have already legalised euthanasia”, referring to the concerns over the safety of the ride, as reported by the ABC.

Another tweeted pictures of her scrapes and bruises from using the slide, commenting that the Esteplona slide was “a piece of shit” and that she flew two metres while police watching laughed.

She also said that she would not be posting a picture of her bruised “arse, which is worse”.

On Friday, the council told The Guardian it had ordered the company that built the slide to carry out a thorough check, and that the “image shared widely on social media” was an isolated event.

But it also said that people needed to follow the instructions posted on the slide, such as riding it sitting up rather than lying down, keeping arms in and not using it at the same time as other people.

“More than a thousand people used the slide correctly [on Thursday] and without incident. Nevertheless, given the situation, the council has requested a new check to provide maximum guarantees for users.”

Latest News

  • Destinations
  • News

APT Launches 2025 Asia Adventures

APT has launched its Asia Adventures for 2025, including new luxury holidays in India, Sri Lanka and Japan. Five new tours lead guests to the highlights of India, including a seven-night cruise along the rarely travelled Lower Ganges aboard the Ganges Voyager. Further south, Sri Lanka’s greatest destinations are revealed on a new 15-day Land […]

  • Cruise
  • Luxury
  • News

Seabourn announces Western Kimberley Traditional Owners as Godparents of Seabourn Pursuit

Seabourn has named Western Kimberley Traditional Owners, the Wunambal Gaambera, as Godparents of the ultra-luxury purpose-built Seabourn Pursuit. It is the first cruise line to appoint Traditional Owners as godparents of a ship. Seabourn Pursuit embarks on its inaugural season in the Kimberley region this June. The naming ceremony will take place on Seabourn Pursuit’s […]

  • Luxury

Malolo Island Resort opens brand new Spa

Fiji’s Malolo Island has added another string to its bow – opening its $1.3 million day spa on Thursday, 18th April 2024. (Lead Image: matriarch Rosie Whitton with spa staff) Located at the edge of the resort’s luscious patch of tropical rainforest, the new “Leilani’s Spa” adds another level of elevated experiences to Malolo’s already […]