KARACHI: An eight-year-old boy died after falling into an open sewer in Korangi’s Mehran Town, police officials said on Monday.
Police officials said that the child, identified as Dilbar, was playing outside his home when he fell into the sewer.
Dilbar’s uncle retrieved the body from the sewer after the neighbour’s children informed the family.
Police officials said that the body was being transferred to a hospital for legal formalities.
Family members said that Dilbar, the only child of his parents, died after falling into a sewer that had been left uncovered.
Speaking to the media outside Jinnah Hospital, the boy’s father, Azhar Ali, said his son was playing near the sewer when he fell due to the missing cover.
“The sewer cover has been missing for over a month,” he added.
Deputy Mayor Salman Abdullah Murad visited the family’s home to express his condolences.
Speaking to journalists, he emphasised that his visit was not political, but an expression of condolences.
“I came to offer my sympathies, not to do politics,” he said.
He added that he had contacted the town chairman, who was in Hyderabad at the time, and noted that the union council (UC) chairman had been provided with 10 sewer covers ten days earlier.
Murad vowed to take strict action against the officers and elected representatives responsible for the tragic incident.
However, the deputy mayor stated that the town and the UC chairman did not belong to the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).
“But the child who died is our child too. We will take the same action as we had after the Nipa incident,” he added.
The incident follows a similar tragedy a month ago that triggered social media outrage.
Several government officials were suspended after a three-year-old child slipped into an uncovered manhole outside a departmental store near Karachi’s Nipa flyover on November 30.
People reportedly pooled money to bring in machinery themselves in a desperate bid to rescue the child.
The body of the child, identified as three-year-old Muhammad Ibrahim, was found 14 hours later.
Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab later visited the family’s home and apologised to them for the tragic incident.
He assured the bereaved family of an impartial investigation into the incident, saying that anyone found negligent would face action.
Last week, the Karachi police committee termed the boy’s death an “accident”.
The police maintained that in light of the parents’ statements and the circumstances of the incident, no cognisable offence was established and the incident was an accident. –Agencies
