12 Children Seriously Injured at Water Park After Electrical Incident

Multiple children were seriously injured after a frightening incident at a popular water park in British Columbia, Canada.

Cultus Lake Waterpark, located near Chilliwack, said a “serious incident” happened around 11:05 a.m. local time on Monday, June 15, while guests were in a queue area near one of the park’s rides.

The park said it was “deeply saddened by the incident,” which injured several guests, including children.

Officials did not say exactly how the children were hurt, but CBC, CTV News and The Canadian Press reported that the incident appeared to be electrical.

According to those outlets, 12 children were taken to the hospital with serious injuries.

Cultus Lake Waterpark’s chief administrative officer, Andrew Steunenberg, reportedly said the injured guests were not in the water and were not on any rides when the incident happened.

The water park thanked the local fire department and paramedics for responding to the scene.

Following the incident, Cultus Lake Waterpark announced it would close for 48 hours while a thorough and independent investigation is conducted.

The Chilliwack Royal Canadian Mounted Police said officers responded to the park around 11:20 a.m. after reports of multiple injuries.

“Paramedics and other first responders attended the scene, providing medical care to 12 individuals,” police said in a June 15 news release.

“All injured persons were transported to hospital for further assessment and treatment. The nature of the injuries are reported to be serious but not life threatening.”

Cpl. Carmen Kiener of the Upper Fraser Valley RCMP said the incident appeared to be isolated and that authorities do not believe there is any ongoing risk to the public.

Police said the investigation remains ongoing as officials work to determine what caused the incident.

“At this time, there is no indication that the event was caused by a person, and investigators do not believe it to be the result of deliberate human action,” the RCMP said.

Cultus Lake Waterpark describes itself on Facebook as British Columbia’s largest water park. Located about an hour outside Vancouver, the park features more than 25 slides and attractions, according to its website.