Two people were killed and 27 injured after a ride at an amusement park in Ahmedabad’s Kankaria Lake area came crashing down on Sunday evening.

Ahmedabad municipal commissioner Vijay Nehra said the injured were admitted to LG Hospital. “An inquiry has been ordered. Police, along with a forensic team, reached the spot to find out the reasons behind the accident,” Nehra said.

“Twenty-nine people were brought to the hospital out of whom two died while 27 are being treated,” said Ahmedabad mayor Bijal Patel.

While police were yet to lodge an FIR when the reports last came in, government officials said the victims were adults.

Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) chief fire officer MF Dastoor said the accident took place as a pipe of the main shaft of the amusement ride called ‘Discovery’ broke, causing it to fall down.

“There are 32 seats in the ride that go round. The pipe of the main shaft broke and crashed on the ground. How that pipe broke is a matter of investigation by Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL),” said Dastoor.

Police officials, led by Ahmedabad Deputy Commissioner of Police, Zone 6, Bipin Ahire, who reached the spot, said it was not immediately clear if the welded part that held the ride from its hinges on the top gave away or its nuts and bolts were loose leading to the roller coaster come crashing on the ground.

Nehra said preliminary investigations indicated that the number of riders was within the capacity. Thirty-one persons were said to be on the ride.

Kankaria Lake is one of the most prominent outing spots located in the heart of Ahmedabad’s Maninagar area. The AMC issues licence to entertainment and food zone contractors.

While the opposition Congress alleged negligence on part of AMC, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) hit back over what it called attempts to politicise deaths.

“The ruling BJP failed to ensure regular maintenance. A complaint of negligence should be registered against AMC authorities,” said Congress councillor Baddrudin Sheikh.

Mayor Patel said, “An inquiry will be conducted to ascertain as to what went wrong, and steps against those responsible for the fault will be taken soon.”

First Published: Jul 14, 2019 20:23 IST