PIB police on Monday registered a case against the administration of Karachi's Askari Amusement Park where a swing had collapsed on Sunday night resulting in the death of a teenaged girl and injuries to 24 others, among them children and women, officials said.

A first information report has been registered against the park's management "over charges of unintentional murder", said Gulshan SP Ghulam Murtaza Bhutto.

The officer said the FIR was registered on behalf of the state as the deceased girl’s father, Abdul Samad, refused to get the case registered against the park administration. The father told the police in writing that he did not want to lodge the FIR.

SP Bhutto told Dawn that the police waited for the parents the whole day to get the FIR registered.

The FIR has been registered under Sections 319 (unintentional murder) and 337 (H-1) (causing hurt by a rash or negligent act) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

The owners of the park were reportedly trying to "patch up" with the victim’s family.

Meanwhile, Karachi East Zone DIG Amir Farooqi told Dawn that a preliminary investigation into the incident revealed that Askari park's administration was allegedly responsible for criminal negligence as they installed the swing using "substandard materials" and did not maintain it properly.

DIG Farooqi disclosed that the park administration also did not have any proper arrangement for rescue efforts, which resulted in the loss of the teenaged girl's life and injuries to several others.

Findings of initial probe

A senior police official familiar with the probe told Dawn that initial findings showed that the shaft to which the "two sides of the swing are attached broke at the place where the riders' side is connected through rivets".

It happened either due to the usage of substandard materials or a flaw in the design as one side became too heavy to balance with the weight on the other side, the officer added.

“We need to check whether these rides are substandard,” he said.

Meanwhile, a PIB police official said that they received information at around 10:30pm on Sunday that a swing had collapsed at Askari Amusement Park located on main University Road in Gulshan-i-Iqbal. Several people injured in the incident were taken to different hospitals for treatment.

However, 16-year-old Kashaf Samad was pronounced dead on arrival at Dr Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital.

Relatives took away the body without allowing doctors to fulfil legal formalities, police surgeon Dr Aijaz Khokhar said.

Her funeral prayers were offered in Bahadurabad neighbourhood and were attended by relatives and area residents.

Talking to media at the time, the victim’s parents said they would get an FIR registered against the park administration.

Kashaf's grief-stricken mother demanded that such parks should be closed where earning money appeared to be more important than human life.

Police and hospital officials said around 24 people including children and women were injured in the incident.

One of them, 23-year-old Ibrahim, who sustained injuries on his left leg was admitted for treatment at the Civil Hospital while three others were discharged after first aid at the hospital.

Dr Seemin Jamali, executive director of the Jinnah Post-Graduate Medical Centre, told Dawn that a total of 11 injured were brought to the hospital and were discharged after being administered first aid.

Eight other injured persons were shifted to Liaquat National Hospital and a majority of them were discharged after treatment.

A statement issued by the Karachi Commissioner’s office said that among the injured, only four were admitted for treatment. Out of them, one Kifayat received serious injuries and was operated upon. His condition is now out of danger, the spokesperson said.

Located inside Old Sabzi Mandi, the park was inaugurated during Eidul Fitr amid much fanfare. It attracted huge crowds during the Eid holidays last month and on weekends.