Spanish town shuts down slide after people hurtle down it at terrifying speeds

ESTEPONA, SPAIN — Well, here’s an idea that was good in theory only.

A 38-metre-long slide in Estepona on Spain’s Costa del Sol has been shut down after several people complained of injuries.

The incredibly steep, stainless steel slide, which links two streets in the southern Spanish town, was intended to give residents an easier way to get from one street to the other. Instead, what they may have gotten was a sure-fire way to get scrapes and bruises.

A video posted on social media showed several people hurtling down the slide and flying off the end at terrifying speeds. One woman also wrote on Twitter, “I went on it and got hurt all over. I flew two metres and the police started to laugh.”

A mere day after the slide opened last Thursday, the council shut it down and ordered the company that built it to conduct a safety check. However, the council also laid partial blame on users who had not properly followed the instructions posted on the slide, which include sitting up, keeping arms in and not using it at the same time as other people.

Noting that the image shared on social media was an “isolated event”, the council also said in a statement: “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.”

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