Investigation opened to examine the circumstances, determine negligence and assign responsibility
The Lahore district administration on Wednesday closed a private water park in Batapur after a nine-year-old girl allegedly got stuck in a drainage pipe and died during draining operations at the pool, while police arrested three officials of the establishment in connection with the incident.
The incident occurred on Monday at Sozo Water Park, where management reportedly began emptying a pool before ensuring children were out of the water. Police say suction from a large-capacity drainage pump pulled the girl into the pool’s drainage pipe, where she became stuck.
Rescue teams searched for the child for approximately 40 to 50 minutes before locating her inside the drain pipe. She could not be resuscitated.
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Following the incident, the district administration closed the water park and suspended all its activities. A spokesperson for the district administration said the establishment was sealed off on the day of the incident and legal action was initiated against its management for alleged negligence.
The spokesperson also said the water park was operating without required fitness and safety measures.
The Batapur police registered a case under section 322 (manslaughter) of the Pakistan Penal Code on the complaint of the victim’s mother.
In the complaint, the mother claimed that her daughter’s death was a result of the negligence of the water park administration and named the park director, security manager and CCTV in charge of the case.
A spokesperson for the Deputy Inspector General of Police Operations (DIG) said the three named suspects had been arrested.
The police spokesperson also pointed out that the girl died after being trapped in the drain pipe and noted that no safety net had been installed over the opening.
Faisal Kamran, DIG operations, said an investigation had been launched to examine the circumstances surrounding the incident, determine the extent of any negligence and assign responsibility to those responsible.
The investigation is focusing on the alleged decision to begin draining the pool while children were still inside and whether mandatory safety measures around the drainage system were ignored, he said.
Kamran said strict action would be taken against those responsible for the girl’s death and justice would be ensured for the victim.
The victim had recently returned from Dubai with her family and was her parents’ only daughter.
