Fifteen children were rescued after a giant inflatable Mickey Mouse swing suddenly deflated and collapsed at Thodo Ground during the national-level Shoolini Fair in Solan on Sunday evening, narrowly averting a major tragedy.
Incident Details
The incident occurred around 7 pm on the last day of the fair. The inflatable swing lost air and collapsed, trapping approximately 15 children beneath the heavy synthetic material. Panic erupted among parents, who rushed to free their children.
Rahul Kumar, a resident of Una who had come to the fair with his family, said his four-year-old son was on the swing when the mishap happened. “There were screams all around. Without wasting any time, we began removing the heavy material covering the children,” he recounted.
Rahul, along with another visitor Pradeep Kumar and other fairgoers, managed to pull out 12 to 15 children safely. Parents claimed that even a slight delay in the rescue could have endangered the children’s lives.
Operator Fled Scene
Parents alleged that the swing operator and his staff fled the scene immediately after the collapse, leaving the children trapped and failing to assist in the rescue. The aggrieved parents submitted a complaint to the police on Sunday evening and demanded the registration of an FIR against the swing operator.
As of Monday, no FIR had been registered, leading parents to claim that efforts were being made to defend the swing owner. They also demanded a technical inspection of all swings operating at the fair to prevent such incidents in the future.
Police Response
Superintendent of Police Sai Dattatreya Varma confirmed that a complaint had been received and said the cause of the accident was being examined. The incident has highlighted a lack of adherence to safety protocols, as the municipal corporation, which collects substantial fees for permitting these swings, lacks the expertise and staff to address safety concerns.
