World’s tallest & fastest waterslide has thrillseekers plummet 10 storeys at 62mph…but ride claimed record after tragedy
SWARMS of adrenaline junkies flock to the world’s tallest waterslide each year – but a gruesome reason lies behind how it claimed its record-breaking title.
The Kilimanjaro in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil gives wide-eyed thrill seekers the ride of their life as they hurtle down the slide plummeting 50 meters at 62 mph.
Built in 2002 the slide was quickly named the worlds tallest and fastest.
But, in 2014 there was a new kid on the block.
Verrückt, Located at the Schlitterbahn Kansas City waterpark, was in a league of its own and toppled Kilimanjaro off the podium.
Verrückt – which means “insane” in German – was higher than Niagara Falls and shot riders in rafts down its 51m drop at 70mph.
The idea for Verrückt came from 63-year-old Jeff Henry, who co-owned the Schlitterbahn parks and acted as the company’s chief visionary, a conjurer of splashy joyrides.
But in 2016 disaster struck and Kilimanjaro was able to reclaim its title under tragic circumstances.
Caleb Schwab, the 10-year-old son of Kansas state representative Scott Schwab, died while riding the slide.
The raft he was in went airborne during the ascent of the second hump and hit the metal support of the netting, instantly decapitating him.
The two people with whom he was riding suffered minor injuries.
Reportedly, Caleb, who weighed 74 pounds, had been allowed to sit in the front of the raft, rather than between the two women accompanying him who weighed more.
This created an uneven weight distribution, which some experts concluded may have contributed to the raft flying into the air.
The two people he was riding with suffered minor injuries – one suffered a broken jaw, while the other suffered a facial bone fracture and needed stitches.
A YouTube video shared of Kilimanjaro fascinated the internet – racking up more than 200,000 views.
The breathtaking clip – taken from in front of the slide – shows brave holidaymakers hurtling down a near vertical pipe after completing the mammoth 234 step climb to the top.
The shot then moves to the entrance of the slide where anxious riders await their fate.
A friendly-looking ride operator wearing a safety harness stands by the mouth of the slide.
She lulls riders into a false sense of security with a reassuring smile before she gives them a nod and sends them down the shoot.
In a video taken by one of the thrill-seekers water sprays up and the camera shakes as person plummets down the slide – covering many meters in just seconds.