Two of five children die after falling into manhole

Two children died after falling into an uncovered manhole in District Malir’s Memon Goth on Wednesday, while three others were rescued in an unconscious state.

The children had set up a Sabeel in the Khosa Goth area of Memon Goth for Ashura. The manhole’s cover was already fragile, so it broke and caused the children to fall in.

A large number of locals gathered at the scene and retrieved the bodies of two of the children while rescuing three others who were injured and unconscious.

The deceased were identified as Husnain, 9, and Talha, 11, while the rescued children were identified as Parvez, Saqib and Abbas. They were taken to the hospital.

The locals said Husnain’s mother and grandmother fainted after hearing the news of his death. Talha’s grandfather appealed to the authorities to establish a proper sewer system in the area to prevent further loss of life.

JI condemns KMC

Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) leader Munem Zafar strongly criticised the Sindh government and Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC), blaming them for the incident at Memon Goth which resulted in the deaths of two children. The JI leader voiced his condemnation while addressing media personnel after visiting affected families. He highlighted that five children drowned in an open drain recently, within the union council under the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader and deputy mayor Salman Murad. Three children were rescued but two succumbed to their injuries.

Expressing his dismay, Zafar pointed out the absence of effective government response during the crisis, emphasising that local residents had to rely on their own efforts to rescue the children. He demanded that the government provide compensation to the families of the deceased and medical assistance to the survivors. Additionally, he urged authorities to ensure essential facilities are provided to the area, criticising the neglect of promises made during election campaigns.

The JI leader pledged ongoing support for the affected families and all Karachiites, offering prayers for the departed souls and for the swift recovery of the survivors. Highlighting past unfulfilled promises, Zafar recalled the mayor's commitment to distribute covers for sewage systems, which remained unimplemented. He underscored the urgency of preparations for the upcoming rainy season, stressing that adequate measures must be taken to clear rain drains in Karachi, a city expected to experience moderate to heavy rainfall.