A five-year-old boy died after falling into an uncovered manhole in Lahore's Sundar area on Tuesday, officials said. The victim, identified as Hassan Amir, was playing in a street near Rana Town, behind a mosque, when he accidentally fell into a drainage pit, according to police and the child's father.
Rescue Efforts
Residents rushed to the scene and managed to pull the child out before shifting him to the hospital. However, doctors could not save his life.
Legal Action
The boy's father, Amir Jameel, lodged a first information report (FIR) at Sundar Police Station under Section 322 of the Pakistan Penal Code, which pertains to qatl-bis-sabab (manslaughter). “At about 6pm, my son Hassan Amir, aged five, while playing in the street, fell into a pit,” the victim’s father said in the FIR. He said the child was rescued with the help of residents and taken to Indus Hospital, but later succumbed to injuries from the fall.
“The responsible parties for my son’s death are the concerned administration, the Atomic Energy Society (Maraka) administration, and A&B Construction Company management,” the complainant said, demanding legal action and justice.
Investigation Underway
Meanwhile, police said an investigation had been launched to determine responsibility for the child's death and whether safety measures had been ignored. Saddar Division Superintendent of Police Shah Rukh Khan visited the site of the incident and offered condolences to the bereaved family.
Speaking to The Express Tribune, Lahore Deputy Inspector General of Police (Operations) Mohammad Faisal Kamran said investigations were underway from multiple angles and that those found responsible would be proceeded against in accordance with the law.
Public Outcry
The incident prompted residents to demand immediate measures to cover uncovered manholes, saying they had become a persistent threat to the lives of citizens, particularly children. Residents said valuable lives were being lost due to the negligence of the relevant authorities and called for immediate and effective steps to prevent such incidents from recurring.
Similar Incidents
The tragedy revived memories of a similar incident in January this year, when a woman and her child died after falling into a manhole near Bhati Gate in Lahore. A similar incident was reported a month later in the city’s Raiwind area, where a two-and-a-half-year-old child died after falling into an open manhole.
The incidents were not limited to Punjab’s capital, as such occurrences have frequently taken place in Karachi, leading to the deaths of several individuals, especially children. One of the worst incidents was reported in Karachi last year, when three-year-old Ibrahim fell into an open manhole near the Nipa Flyover in Gulshan-e-Iqbal. His body was recovered 15 hours later from a manhole near Sir Syed University on University Road, triggering widespread outrage.
