According to monitoring desk reports, Ibrahim — the only child of his parents — slipped from their hands late Sunday night outside a departmental store and fell into an uncovered manhole around 11:30 pm.
Residents and family members searched throughout the night but were unable to find him, despite repeated attempts to reach concerned authorities. The child’s grandfather told local media that he contacted every relevant department, but “everyone disconnected the call after hearing the issue,” adding that even the Karachi mayor’s phone was switched off. “Had the search started at night, the outcome might have been different,” he lamented.
Rescue officials said the body was recovered after a 15-hour operation on Monday, nearly half a kilometre from the incident site, and handed over to the family. However, a garbage picker identified as Tanveer rejected the official account, claiming that he — not the rescue teams — located and retrieved the child's body before handing it to residents.
A large number of relatives, neighbours, and political and religious figures attended the funeral, including Jamaat-e-Islami Karachi chief Munim Zafar and MQM lawmaker Shariq Jamal.
Videos from the night of the incident showing the child’s mother crying and pleading, “For God’s sake, save my child,” went viral on social media, fuelling grief and anger citywide.
Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has ordered an inquiry into why the manhole had been left uncovered. Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab told media the location was a “stormwater drain” and added that investigations were also underway into why rescue equipment and ambulances were not provided in time.
Wahab appeared visibly irritated when asked about demands for his resignation, accusing political opponents of exploiting a tragedy. He maintained that 88,000 manhole covers had been installed in the past year and assured strict action in case negligence was proven.
Meanwhile, JI leader Hafiz Naeemur Rehman sharply criticised the provincial administration, saying Karachi’s civic infrastructure had “collapsed to the point where children are dying in gutters.” He accused the Sindh government of prioritising land grabbing over public safety and demanded immediate rehabilitation of University Road and revival of the BRT project.
Local media reports noted that at least 20 people — including women and children — have died this year after falling into open manholes and drains across Karachi, once again highlighting severe civic negligence and delayed emergency response.
