KARACHI: After a 15-hour search operation, the body of three-year-old Ibrahim, who fell into an open manhole near Nipa Chowrangi, was recovered on Monday by Karachi Municipal Corporation (KMC) rescue teams near Sir Syed University of Engineering and Technology. The child’s body had travelled nearly half a kilometre through the city’s drainage system before being found. The uncovered two-by-two-foot manhole was located directly in front of Karachi’s Chase Up Center, with no protective cover, barrier or warning sign for pedestrians.
Ibrahim, the only child of his parents, slipped into the manhole around 11pm on Sunday while the family was shopping. He had momentarily let go of his father’s hand and walked ahead between parked motorcycles when he suddenly disappeared into the open gutter. The family, residents of Shah Faisal Colony, was devastated, with the boy’s mother reportedly falling unconscious after the incident. His grandfather, Mehmoodul Hasan, received the body as rescue teams concluded their operation.
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Locals and volunteers joined the search effort overnight, voicing anger at delays caused by the lack of rescue machinery and the unavailability of sewerage maps. Ibrahim’s father and grandfather searched through the night and even paid Rs15,000 for private excavation work when authorities failed to respond promptly.
Initial rescue attempts were halted due to insufficient equipment, forcing residents to arrange machinery themselves. It was later determined that the manhole was three feet deep and linked directly to the main 36-inch drainage line of Gulshan-e-Iqbal. Ibrahim’s body travelled through three internal sewage channels before reaching the Dental Medical Center area. Only the next morning — nearly 16 hours after the fall — was BRT machinery brought in to excavate the main line.
The tragedy sparked protests at Nipa Chowrangi, where residents blocked roads, burned tyres and disrupted traffic toward Hassan Square. Some protesters damaged media vans and stopped commuters, prompting police to divert vehicles to alternate routes.
Mayor Karachi Murtaza Wahab expressed condolences and confirmed that CCTV footage was being collected. He said the Karachi Water & Sewerage Corporation (KWSC) had been ordered to conduct an inquiry, stressing that strict action would follow if negligence was confirmed.
Sindh government spokesperson Saadia Javed also announced an investigation into the missing manhole cover. Political leaders, including MQM’s Dr Farooq Sattar and Jamaat-e-Islami’s Hafiz Naeemur-Rehman, criticised the city administration, highlighting the growing safety risks posed by open drains and uncovered manholes across Karachi.
Residents also criticised the Chase Up management, pointing out that a major commercial store had an unguarded open gutter directly at its entrance. Volunteers added that politicians should at least mark uncovered manholes with party flags so the public can avoid them.
