Five rescued after falling into open drain in Korangi

Recent months have seen multiple manhole and drain incidents reported in Karachi

Five people, including a woman and children, fell into an open drainage channel in Karachi’s Korangi area on Sunday, officials said. All five were pulled out of the drain, and three of them were rescued in an unconscious condition and shifted to hospital.

According to rescue authorities, the incident took place in Mehran Town, Korangi, as the group was returning from a function when they fell into an uncovered sewer line.

Rescue officials said efforts began soon after information about the incident was received. They added that the cover of the drainage channel was broken at one point and that the victims fell through the damaged section.

In a separate incident on December 30, eight-year-old Dilbar Ali died after falling into a manhole in Mehran Town, Sector 6-G of the Korangi Industrial Area.

Read: Toddler’s body recovered after falling into manhole near Nipa flyover, Karachi

According to police and residents, the incident occurred at around 5pm while children were playing in the street, when Dilbar fell into an uncovered manhole near his house. Residents rushed to the scene after other children raised the alarm and managed to pull him out, but he had already passed away.

Similar incidents have been reported in recent months. On November 30, three-year-old Ibrahim fell into a manhole near Nipa Chowrangi and was recovered after a 15-hour search by Karachi Municipal Corporation rescue teams near Sir Syed University of Engineering and Technology the following day.

Read more: Four bodies recovered from manhole

Police and witnesses said Ibrahim, son of Nabeel, slipped into the manhole outside a departmental store at around 11pm after briefly moving ahead of his family while they were shopping.

The incident prompted protests at Nipa Chowrangi, where residents blocked the road and burned tyres, disrupting traffic towards Hassan Square. Some protesters damaged media vehicles and attempted to stop commuters, following which police diverted traffic to alternative routes.