Most injured were rescuers when swing crashed again at Surajkund fair

Faridabad: One friend stepped on to the giant swing, the other stayed back, uneasy about its moves.

By the end of the evening at Surajkund fair, 21-year-old Prashant, a third-year BTech student at IIT-Delhi, was in intensive care with severe injuries after the swing malfunctioned and came crashing down in stages on Saturday.


It left more than a dozen injured — many of them those who rushed in to pull trapped riders to safety.

Prashant, a resident of Dholpur in Rajasthan, was seated on the swing when a key component on the left side detached, causing the structure to tilt and partially collapse.

He escaped with injury in the first failure, but was later struck on the head when another section broke off and fell during rescue efforts.

Prashant is under observation in the ICU. "He suffered head injuries and spinal trauma, and received 12 stitches on the head. Doctors are conducting MRI scans to assess possible pelvic injuries," said his relative Rohitash, a compounder at a private hospital in Gurgaon.

He had come to the fair in the afternoon with his friend Prateek, also an IIT-Delhi student. Prateek said he did not board the ride.

"I was too scared to get on it. After the first collapse, my friend was still conscious and not badly injured. But when people climbed up to rescue others, another part of the ride fell and hit him on the head."

Prashant's father, an assistant sub-inspector with Rajasthan Police's crime branch, reached Faridabad with family members early on Sunday morning.

Talking to visitors and witnesses, TOI learnt that most of the injuried were not riding the swing, but were rescuers caught in the second collapse.

Abrar Ali (26), a state-level boxer from Tughlakabad in Delhi, said he climbed the damaged structure after hearing screams.

Abrar, who runs a biscuit and VR goggles stall at the mela and has worked there for the past three years, said he is the sole breadwinner of his family. "I saw people screaming. So, I just threw my things aside and climbed up. I managed to pull seven to eight people out."

He suffered leg and shoulder injuries when a railing section gave way.

"I also knew the assistant sub-inspector who died. He used to come to our stall and talk to me. It is unfortunate how he died," he added.

Sunil, a 22-year-old toll tax booth worker from Sohna, said he ran towards the ride after hearing cries for help. "I was climbing up to cut seatbelts and pull people out," he said, a day after being discharged.

"We managed to rescue a few people when the other side of the swing collapsed on us. There were seven or eight of us who were trapped under the metal."

Rajesh Kumar, a special officer posted at SGM Nagar police station, said police were assisting in the evacuation when the second collapse happened. "The swing had already tilted. While we were pulling people out, a heavy metal railing came crashing down," he added.

Rajesh suffered multiple rib fractures after the swing hit the cash counter and fell on him.

Balbir Singh (48), who sells chole bhature at the fair, suffered a triple fracture to his arm and is scheduled for a surgery.

"There were people stuck in the air. I climbed up the ladder to help and was standing next to the ASI (who died) when the main pillar swung and crushed my arm."

Anuj (19), a helper at a stall, was also injured. "I was walking back to my stall with a carton of water bottles. A crowd that was rushing towards the exit hit me, and I fell on the ground. Later, I was taken to the hospital and given treatment."