Three die in well

A man jumped in the well to rescue two children, but the rope snapped

KARACHI:

In a tragic incident two children fell into a 100-foot deep well while playing cricket at Sunny Apartments near Fawara Chowk in the Garden area on Sunday. A plumber who attempted to rescue them also died due to suffocation.

Three Pashtun laborers eventually pulled out the bodies of the children and the plumber after an hour of effort. The crowd at the scene, frustrated by the delayed response and failed attempts by rescuers of a welfare organisation, chanted slogans against them.

The incident occurred when the children, 12-year-old Badar and 10-year-old Talha, were fielding on the well cover, which suddenly broke. The commotion attracted a crowd, and a plumber, 20-year-old Faizan, who was at the apartment for work, descended into the well to save the children. However, due to a lack of oxygen, he also suffocated.

Police, along with volunteers from two welfare organizations, arrived at the scene but were unable to retrieve the bodies initially. Three Pashtun youths from the crowd then entered the well with ropes and oxygen pipes, successfully recovering the bodies.

The deceased children were residents of Sunny Apartment and Arafat Apartment, while the plumber Faizan lived in the Lines Area. The families refused post-mortem examinations, and the bodies were handed over to them.

According to SHO Pawan Kumar, the well's cover was in poor condition and had deteriorated further due to recent rains. The apartment management had failed to repair it in time. Police are investigating the incident further.