Open manhole claims another child’s life

LAHORE: A three-year-old boy lost his life after falling into an open manhole inside Children Hospital Lahore, ARY News reported.

According to police, the deceased children named Basim was brought to the hospital by his parents for medical check-up. The police added that the three-year-old boy fell into an open manhole while playing near admin office of the Children Hospital Lahore.

The police added that the body was retrieved from the sewer and handed over to the bereaved family after legal formalities.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister (CM) Punjab Maryam Nawaz took notice of the unfortunate incident and sought a report from the secretary health.

In a statement, Maryam Nawaz said that open manhole is tantamount to the criminal negligence, directing to take strict action against those neglectful.

The hospital administration has prepared a report on the tragic incident, without holding anyone accountable for the tragedy. The report stated that the open manhole’s uncovered condition was the primary cause of the accident.

However, the report surprisingly did not hold anyone accountable for the tragedy.

According to the report, the child’s mother reported the disappearance to security personnel on which the hospital staff launched a search operation. A Sewermen retrieved the child from the manhole and he was rushed to the emergency department but could not be saved.

Earlier in a similar incident in Hyderabad on November 18, three-year-old boy named Sufyan lost his life after falling into an open manhole.

According to the family, they had to retrieve the child’s body from the sewer on their own.

Residents of the area expressed their anger, stating that despite multiple complaints to the town chairman, the open manholes were never covered.

Main roads in the city have numerous uncovered manholes, which have become a significant safety hazard.