MEAWW.COM / NEWS / HUMAN INTEREST

Video shows log flume with 5 people sinking at Disney World, staffer says getting out of boat a 'health hazard'

The Splash Mountain log flume went completely underwater while the riders escaped and stood on the side

BAY LAKE, FLORIDA: Vistors who were riding the Splash Mountain at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida this past Sunday, August 2, were greeted with a rude shock after their boat took on water and started sinking. The incident occurred when a log flume at the popular Magic Kingdom attraction sprung a leak towards the end of the ride, with videos posted on social media showing how the seats had filled with water.

In one of the videos, the riders can be seen standing on a small path on the side and looking towards the log flume, which was almost completely underwater at that point. They can be heard complaining about it to one of the employees, who seemingly brushes them off and assures them it wasn't too dangerous. One of the visitors can be heard responding to the employee, who appears to be giving the group instructions on how to proceed. "See the boat?" the person asks, to which the staff member responds, "I understand that but this is a safety hazard," probably meaning that visitors shouldn't have got out of the sinking boat.

"So we got out of our boat because it was sinking while we were stuck there and the disney world employee decided to tell us that we should’ve stayed in the boat but it went under as soon as we all stepped out... nice #DisneyWorld #splashmountain #MagicKingdom #disney not okay????" the uploader, Skyelar Ingersoll, wrote.

Another user who was also on the ride shared another picture where the log flume was entirely submerged and wrote, "We deada** almost drowned."

When another said it was too much to suggest they could have "drowned" because the water is 1.5-feet deep, the user hit back. "Before we were even able to get out, our boat was tilting up. There were so many ways things could’ve gone wrong. Thankfully it didn’t, but don’t discredit what at that moment we were feeling."

While it is still unclear how the vehicle submerged, Disney World officially released a statement to Spectrum 13 about the incident and assured that all the riders had been unhurt. "The incident happened toward the end of the ride and involved five visitors. All five visitors were able to get out of the ride vehicle safely," they said.

Besides this more recent mishap, Splash Mountain has found itself criticized recently due to its origins — it is currently based on the 1946 Disney film 'Song of the South', which has been the subject of controversy over its portrayal of the post-Civil War South and its stereotypical portrayal of African-Americans. Following the recent George Floyd protests that brought the issues of police brutality and systemic racism to the fore, Disney announced plans to reimagine the Splash Mountain at both Disneyland in California and the Magic Kingdom in Florida. They will soon be themed based on the 2009 Disney film 'The Princess and the Frog', which features the company’s first Black princess, Tiana.

In a press release shared with People, the company said the rebranding was "a project Imagineers have been working on since last year" and that the storyline will pick up "after the final kiss, and join Princess Tiana and Louis on a musical adventure — featuring some of the powerful music from the film — as they prepare for their first-ever Mardi Gras performance."

"The retheming of Splash Mountain is of particular importance today," they said. "The new concept is inclusive — one that all of our guests can connect with and be inspired by, and it speaks to the diversity of the millions of people who visit our parks each year."