Tragedy in the Transvaal Park: an error or an intentional calculation?

"Transvaal Park" - a sports and entertainment complex, located in the south-west of Moscow, in the Yasnevo district.

Unfortunately, the word "entertaining" has long ceased to be associated with this famous building, because in 2004, on February 14, there was a terrible tragedy that took many innocent lives. However, about everything in more detail.

History

The very first Moscow aquapark "Transvaal Park" was opened in 2002, which pleased many residents of the capital. The total area of the building was 20,200 m² (to make it clear, the complex could accommodate more than 2,000 visitors per day).

The first floor of the water park was occupied by a large restaurant, bowling with 12 lanes, a billiard room, a cafe, engineering equipment and administration premises.

On the second floor there was a fast food cafe for 100 people, a luggage room, a main lobby with a dressing room.

The third floor was occupied by a beauty salon and a gym.

The water park itself was a mock-up of the southern sea, surrounded by rocks and sea vegetation.

Projectors and investors

"Transvaal Park", built in the form of a whale tail, was designed and built according to the design of the workshop "Sergey Kiselev and partners." The chief engineer was Nodar Kancheli, who was later charged with the incident. The main investor, in fact, as well as the customer, was the European Technologies and Service CJSC. The contractor was a Turkish firm called "Kochak Inshaat Limited," which managed to invest in a short construction period - 1.5 years.

Tragedy in the "Transvaal Park"

On February 14, 2004, at 7 pm Moscow time, when nothing was foreshadowing troubles, the roof of the Transvaal Park suddenly collapsed. This tragedy shocked all of Russia. Why did the once famous entertainment complex collapsed like a house of matches?

At the time of the tragedy, there were about 1,300 people in the building. 400 of them had fun in the basin and adjacent to the water park zone.

The area of collapse was simply stunning - almost 5000 m². The dome, towering over the building, fell on the entire water part, not only touched the pool for adults. Unfortunately, under the collapsing hulk there was also a children's playground with water attractions.

Also under the rubble was an amphitheater, a fitness center, offices, a cafe and a lobby with cash registers.

After the collapse, almost naked people were on a 20-degree frost under glass and wreckage.

Death toll

How many lives did the Transvaal Park take? Those who died under the wreckage are mostly residents of Moscow and Moscow region. Among them there are representatives of Magadan, Dushanbe and even Lithuania.

According to official data, "Transvaal Park", a photo of which is presented below, killed 28 people, 8 of which are children. More than 120 innocent people were seriously injured and injured.

Rescue operation

Literally in a few minutes, virtually all emergency services in Moscow arrived to the scene of the incident. In the rescue operation were involved about 100 rescuers and more than a dozen units of special equipment.

Rescuers worked without rest all night. For the analysis of blockages, they used exclusively hand tools: crowbars, sledge hammers, jackhammers , etc.

During the rescue operation, another part of the dome collapsed. But in this case, to the greatest joy, no one was hurt.

The work was completed only on the morning of February 16.

Who is guilty of the tragedy?

Why did the "Transvaal Park" collapse? The collapse, which horrified the whole of Russia, could not be left without attention. Therefore, the Moscow prosecutor's office seriously took up this matter. The investigation lasted a long time - as much as 1 year and 8 months.

During this time, the investigators inspected more than a dozen different objects and interviewed about 300 people. During this long period of time, more than 240 expert examinations were conducted, in particular, construction and technical, and several dozens of versions were considered, which took into account both the meteorological causes of the tragedy and the placement of explosives by terrorists.

Most investigators were inclined to the fact that poor quality construction materials were used in the construction, as well as various design errors were made.

This version turned out to be established during the investigation: "Transvaal-Park" collapsed due to gross design errors that were made during the development and calculation of the project. The erected building did not meet the regulatory requirements for reliability and safety for people. "

The charges were brought to the chief engineer of the project Nodar Kancheli and the head of the non-departmental examination Anatoly Voronin.

Punishment for the guilty

On 5 September 2006, at the request of lawyers, an amnesty was granted to Nodar Kancheli in honor of the 100th anniversary of the State Duma. Anatoly Voronin also did not bear punishment, as the Moscow prosecutor's office stopped the criminal case against him.

What is now in place "Transvaal Park"

Now on the site of the collapsed water park there is a multifunctional center called "Morone".

The entertaining complex was opened in 2013. Its area is 55,000 m². Of these, 2500 m² is a water park. The complex is designed for 4000 people.

"Remember, we mourn ..."

On the site of the tragedy in 2005, a memorial stone was erected with the names and surnames of all the victims. In 2006, he was consecrated by Alexy II (former Moscow Patriarch of All Russia) and Archbishop of Istra Arseny. Later, on Golubinskaya Street, the Church of All Saints was built, reminiscent of this terrible tragedy. Everyone who wishes can come and pray for the repose of innocent dead people who happened to be in the place of the tragedy.