RIO DE JANEIRO – Seven are dead and 33 injured after a lit cigarette accidentally fell into the Olympic pool during a men’s semi-final heat for the 100m butterfly.
“When I saw the cigarette, everything started moving in slow-motion,” said Bronte Campbell, as paramedics treated her wounds. “I saw Piero [Codia of Italy] try to get out of the pool, but the water was too viscous and it pulled him back under.”
The inferno erupted immediately after the ember touched the surface of the bright green water. Rio officials added to the chaos when, in an attempt to put out the fire, they sprayed it with water collected from the city reservoir, which then also caught on fire.
“We knew the risks when we agreed to swim here,” said Penny Oleksiak, badly shaken up. “But I thought the worst had already happened after James Guy [of Great Britain] was permanently blinded from water seeping into his goggles. Turns out he was one of the lucky ones.”
The only competitor left unscathed was Michael Phelps, who outswam the blaze, recording a record time of 7.83 seconds.
