A failure in Microsoft’s services prevented the German amusement park Phantasialand from receiving an automatic warning about excessive chlorine levels in a swimming pool. Fifteen guests were injured in the incident at the Ling Bao hotel in Brühl, WDR reported.
The problem occurred on Friday, when an outage also affected Outlook email. The sauna’s automatic safety system sent an alert, but the message did not reach the complex’s staff. “Emails were not coming through because of the outage,” the company told WDR.
15 guests sought medical attention
After using the pool, guests complained of health problems. Thirteen people suffered irritation of the airways, while the total number of those affected later reached 15.
Rescue teams and firefighters were called to the scene. It was initially reported that five guests had been taken to hospital, but the number was later corrected to four. One of them remained under observation due to a moderately serious injury.
Fault found in dosing system
Inspections by emergency crews revealed a defect in the automatic system that doses chlorine into the pool. The failure led to a significant increase in the chemical’s concentration in the water.
The pool was temporarily closed and the water was replaced. The facility was then reopened to visitors, the fire service reported.
Sources: www1.wdr.de