The body of a three-year-old boy, who tragically fell into an open manhole in Karachi’s Gulshan-i-Iqbal area on Sunday night, was recovered on Monday after a search operation lasting over 12 hours, with the child reportedly falling shortly after leaving a departmental store with his parents.
This incident ignited immediate public anger, prompting Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab to announce an inquiry into how long the manhole was left uncovered, while simultaneously cautioning against politicizing the human tragedy. Conversely, Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman vehemently condemned the Sindh government and the Karachi Water and Sewage Corporation, directly blaming the incident on the city’s deteriorated infrastructure, with Rehman questioning “how many more will die” due to flawed projects.
After 15 hours of desperate searching, the lifeless body of three-year-old Ibrahim, who fell into an open manhole near Nipa Chowrangi, was recovered by KMS rescue teams. The boy’s body had traveled nearly half a kilometre downstream.
The small body was handed over to his… pic.twitter.com/FSbKpWmqdB
— The Express Tribune (@etribune) December 1, 2025
The tragedy underscores the recurring public safety crisis in major Pakistani cities, where deaths from falling into open gutters and manholes are frequent due to poorly managed drainage systems and missing covers, exposing the severe risks faced by pedestrians.
