Man loses his only child as toddler dies after falling into open manhole in Karachi

A two-and-a-half-year-old boy fell into an uncovered manhole and died in Karachi’s Malir District on Tuesday.

Sources said that the incident took place in Memon Goth, when the toddler slipped into a lidless sewer. The grieving father, Abdur Rehman, said that the deceased child was his only son.

"Where do we go, which door to knock on? There is no one to hear [about the loss," he said.

Meanwhile, a relative of the affected family said that the father and son were visiting the area to attend a function when they were met with the tragedy. He said that the manhole was without a lid for the last 15 to 20 days.

He said that the locals had complained about it to the relevant union council but the US staffers told them that they did not have a lid to cover the manhole.

Karachi's Deputy Mayor Salman Abdullah Murad met Rehman and offered his condolences to him. He assured Rehman of taking strict action against the officials responsible for the negligence.  

This is not the first time that a life was lost in such an incident in Karachi. Several people, including children, have died after falling into open manholes, as the metropolis has long-standing sewerage and other maintenance woes.

With the city administration lamenting the lack of funds and resources and local parties claiming to be the ones that will resolve Karachi's problems, most of the municipality issues remain unaddressed.