Three-year-old drowns in manhole in Karachi's Surjani Town

A minor boy fell and drowned in an open manhole in Karachi’s Surjani Town, it emerged on Saturday. 

Rescue officials stated that the incident occurred while sanitary workers were cleaning the sewerage line and had opened the manhole.

Three-year-old Asadullah fell into the manhole while playing outside his home.

However, soon after the victim disappeared from the house, his mother started searching for him. This led her to the manhole, and when she looked inside, she found her son.

The child was immediately rescued and taken to a nearby hospital, but he could not survive and died there.

“I request the government to take notice of this incident so that others can be prevented from such incidents,” said Muhammad Faisal, father of the victim.

Read: Mayor Karachi launches helpline to report open manholes

The residents of the area demanded the covering of all the manholes in the city, otherwise, it could cause the loss of other lives.

After  legal formalities, the police handed over the victim’s body to the family.

Previously, following the tragic death of a young boy who fell into an open manhole in Shah Faisal Colony, Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab had activated the 1334 helpline to address the issue of open manholes across the city.

The initiative was aimed at improveing safety and preventing further accidents due to open manholes in Karachi.

Earlier, on February 16, a 60-year-old woman had fallen into an uncovered manhole in Pattoki, and a 20-year-old man who attempted to rescue her also died. 

The incident sparked outrage among locals, who took to the streets and blocked GT Road in protest of the administration's negligence. 

The protesters said that lids over a dozen manholes in the town were missing, and the local administration was doing nothing about it.