Investigation initiated to investigate the circumstances, determine negligence and assign liability
The Lahore district administration on Wednesday sealed a private water park in Batapur after a nine-year-old girl was allegedly trapped in a drain pipe and died during pool drainage operations, while police arrested three officials of the facility in connection with the incident.
The incident took place on Monday at the Sozo Water Park, where management reportedly began emptying a swimming pool before ensuring children were out of the water. According to police, suction from a high-capacity drain pump pulled the girl into the pool drain, where she was trapped.
Rescue teams searched for the child for about 40 to 50 minutes before finding him inside the drain pipe. She could not be revived.
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Following the incident, the district administration sealed the water park and suspended all activities. A spokesperson for the district administration said the facility had been sealed on the day of the incident and legal action had been initiated against its management for alleged negligence.
The spokesman also said the water park had been operating without the necessary fitness and safety measures.
The Batapur police registered a case under Section 322 (homicide) 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 due to the negligence of the water park administration and named the park manager, security officer and CCTV responsible for the case.
A spokesman for the Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Operations said all three nominated suspects had been arrested.
The police spokesman also highlighted that the girl died after being trapped in the drain pipe and noted that no safety net had been installed over the opening.
DIG Operations Faisal Kamran said an inquiry had been launched to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident, establish the extent of any negligence and assign responsibility to those responsible.
The investigation focuses on the alleged decision to start draining the pool while children were still inside and whether mandatory safety measures around the drainage system had been 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 the only daughter of her parents.
