Fair swing takes a plunge, 1 dead

The steel and wood structure that collapsed in Baridih on Friday. (Bhola Prasad)

One person was killed and two others were critically injured when a giant swing at a fair venue in Baridih came crashing on Friday morning.

The deceased has been identified as Mohammed Sheru (32). One of the injured is Sheru’s father and owner of the amusement ride Mohammed Zamil, while the other is yet to be identified. Both are being treated at Tata Main Hospital.

Eyewitnesses said the accident took place around 10.30am. Durga Puja over, Zamil and a couple of his workers were trying to dismantle the boat-shaped Columbus swing — named after the 16th Century explorer — while Sheru was sitting below the giant wood and steel structure.

“All of a sudden, the entire thing came crashing. The heavy swing landed directly on Sheru’s head and his skull cracked. He died on the spot. His father and another worker had to be rushed to hospital,” said a relative.

Sidhgora police station officer in charge sub-inspector Ganesh Kumar Singh said the deceased was a resident of Bihar Sharif.

“We have already informed his family members so that necessary formalities can be carried out before the body is handed over,” the officer said. He added that the identity of the third victim of the mishap could not be ascertained yet.

On what might have triggered the fatal accident, Singh said preliminary investigations suggested that Zamil’s workers, who were helping him dismantle the swing, lost their balance and the structure collapsed.

Local residents said Zamil and his men had been regulars at the Baridih Durga Puja fair for years. “They run the ride at the fair for 10 days and then shift to some other venue in Seraikela-Kharsawan, where a Kali Puja fair is held,” one of them added.