Fairground at which boy died did not have permit, says Elliniko municipality

The mini fairground in Elliniko, southern Athens, where a child was killed on Sunday did not have a license, according to the local authority.

Elliniko Municipality said on Monday that it had agreed to rent the area where the fairground was located to a company called Happy Fun but that the firm did not make a request for a license to operate attractions on the site.

The Administrative Reform Ministry has ordered an investigation into the fairground after a 13-year-old boy was killed and his 9-year-old sister injured in an accident.

The boy and his sister were in large helium-filled cylinders, known as water rollers, on a pool in the playground in Elliniko when a gust of wind blew them about 30 meters.

The cylinders crashed into a number of objects before coming to a rest. The boy suffered serious head injuries and doctors were unable to revive him when he was taken to Aghia Sophia children’s hospital.

The boy’s sister was said to be in a stable condition, out of danger on Monday morning.

The fairground’s manager was arrested after handing himself over to police on Monday morning.

An Italian man who rented the equipment to the company was arrested at the site on Sunday along with two employees, both Bangladeshi.

Speaking through his lawyer, the Italian said that a freak gust of wind had been responsible for the accident and that all the safety precautions had been taken.

“Nobody could have predicted that an object weighing 80 kilos could have been lifted into the air by the wind,” said lawyer Agis Tatsis. “There has never been an accident in the 17 years that my client has been involved in this business.”

The Italian and the two Bangladeshis were charged on Monday with manslaughter...