Brother watched helplessly as child fell.
Residents protest, blame government negligence.
MPA Aamir Siddiqui slams Sindh government.
KARACHI: A six-year-old boy died in Karachi’s Jamshed Quarters area after falling into an open manhole while returning home on Wednesday.
The child, identified as Ali, had been selling chips and was on his way back when he fell into the uncovered manhole and drowned. His younger brother Ubaid, who was walking alongside him, stood by in fear, unable to help.
Following the incident, relatives and local residents staged a protest by placing the body on Jamshed Road. The protest was called off after police held negotiations with the demonstrators.
Residents expressed anger over the tragedy, stating that if action had previously been taken against negligent officials, such incidents could have been avoided.
Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) leader and Member of Sindh Assembly Aamir Siddiqui also visited the and criticised the Sindh government for failing to prevent such incidents.
In a similar incident earlier this year, a six-year-old boy named Ibad died after falling into an open manhole in Karachi’s Shah Faisal Colony.
According to police, Ibad was playing near a marriage hall when he fell into an uncovered gutter and drowned. His body was later retrieved from a drain under the Korangi bridge, approximately two kilometres away.
The boy had come from Kala Pul to attend an Aqeeqa ceremony at his uncle’s house. Police said his father worked in Dubai. The victim’s family declined to pursue legal action.
Despite 19 children losing their lives in open manhole incidents in Karachi last year, such tragedies continue to occur.