THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The police have registered a case against four people, including the chairman of the Happyland water theme park near Venjaramoodu, after an accident in one of the rides resulted in injuries to 13 people.
Apart from the chairman, the park supervisor and the electrician and the operator of the swing ride that collapsed midway on Thursday afternoon, were also booked. Venjaramoodu police said the accused have been charged under BNS sections 125, 125a and 125b.
The ride had around 20 people when a part of the swing came crashing down. The police said a welding defect resulted in the accident.
“The wear and tear of the machine parts seems to have played a role in the accident. An inspection revealed that the ride was affected by ageing. But the immediate cause of the accident was the welding failure, which resulted in a metal part breaking away,” a police official said.
Onlookers said they heard a loud snapping sound following which the ride came crashing down. The footage of the incident, which was shot by onlookers, revealed that a major tragedy was averted by a whisker.
Since the summer vacation was on, the park had witnessed heavy footfall. And with Thursday being a public holiday on account of Bakrid, a larger crowd was present. A sizeable number of other-state tourists were also present in the park at the time.
The district administration has directed the local body to review the licence issued to the park. The Manickal panchayat, meanwhile, has issued a stop memo to the park. Of the 13 injured, one person broke a leg. She is now stable.
Following the incident, the state government has directed all departments concerned to scrutinise the safety of adventure and water theme parks across the state.