Jungle Cruise riverboat SINKS mid-ride at Walt Disney World as passengers scramble to reach dry land and the local fire department is called in to assist
- One of Walt Disney World’s 15 Jungle Cruise vessels began taking on water at the theme park on Thursday afternoon
- Photos and video shared to social media show passengers scrambling to reach dry land as the ride quickly became submerged
- A Disney spokesperson said all passengers escaped the incident without injury
Passengers on board a Jungle Cruise riverboat at World Disney World have been forced to evacuate the vessel after it began to sink mid-ride.
Pictures shared to social media show the boat, named the Bomokandi Bertha, taking on water at the Orlando theme park just after midday Thursday.
Bomokandi Bertha is one of 15 Jungle Cruise vessels that operate at the park, and is one of only two that are wheelchair accessible. It’s unclear if any disabled passengers were on board the boat at the time it began to sink.
A Disney spokesperson told People magazine that all passengers escaped without injury.
Employees immediately called the nearby Reddy Creek Fire Department to help assist with the emergency evacuation, and later ‘worked individually with each of the guests to ensure the rest of their park visit went smoothly’.
It’s unclear how many passengers were on board the boat at the time the incident occurred, but each of the Jungle Cruise vessels can cater for up to 30 people at any one time.
The water is around five-feet deep.
The incident spawned significant interest on social media.
Matthew Vincent was one of the passengers on board the vessel, and he took to Twitter to share his experiences.
‘Our boat on the jungle cruise sank today. Fun times, he wrote, accompanied by photo that showed passengers standing in shallow water.
Later, he added a second snap that showed the boat significantly submerged as a man, who appeared to be the vessel’s operator, waded through knee-deep water.
However, he praised to response of park staff, writing: ‘Our skipper was awesome, used a radio to get help, and we did not have wet feet or wet clothes on for very long.’
The Jungle Cruise is one of Walt Disney World’s most popular rides, having been in operation since the park’s opening back in 1971.
While the Jungle Cruise was closed down for several hours following the incident on Thursday afternoon, it is now back up and running as normal.
Passengers on board a Jungle Cruise riverboat at World Disney World were forced to evacuate the vessel on Thursday afternoon when it began sinking