Water park sealed after girl dies during drainage

Three officials arrested as probe focuses on safety lapses and negligence

LAHORE:

A water park in Batapur has been sealed after a nine-year-old girl died allegedly because of becoming trapped in a pipe during pool draining.

Police arrested three officials of the facility in connection with the incident.

The tragedy had occurred on Monday when the management allegedly began draining a swimming pool without ensuring that all children had exited the water. According to the police, suction with a high-capacity pump pulled the girl into the pool's drainage pipe, trapping her in it.

Rescue teams searched for the child for around 50 minutes before recovering her, but she.could not be revived.

Following the incident, the Lahore district administration sealed the water park, suspended its operations and initiated legal action against the management over alleged negligence.

Officials said the facility was operating without the required fitness and safety arrangements.

Batapur police registered a case under Section 322 of the Pakistan Penal Code on the complaint of the victim's mother who alleged that her daughter's death had resulted from negligence of the park administration.

The FIR named the park's manager, security and CCTV in-charge.

The police arrested all the three nominated suspects.

A police spokesperson said the girl had got stuck in an uncovered drainage pipe, adding that no safety net had been installed over the opening.

DIG Operations Faisal Kamran said investigators were examining whether the pool had been drained while children were still inside and whether mandatory safety measures had been ignored.