A six-year-old boy drowned in an open manhole in Karachi on Wednesday, which triggered a protest by residents and politicians, prompting the police to register a case against unidentified suspects in Jamshed Quarters.

Jamshed Quarters police Station House Officer (SHO) Ansar Butt said, “Two siblings were passing by a petrol pump in the area when one of them fell into an open manhole.

“The victim’s brother alerted bystanders about the incident, where the boy drowned. After being inside the manhole for about 20 minutes, the boy passed away at 7pm on Tuesday.”

The incident angered locals who lodged a protest at the scene, which was joined by MQM-P lawmaker Amir Siddiqi.

Siddiqi told the media, “The Sindh government and Karachi mayor have failed to cover open manholes in the metropolis. A child fell into a 16-foot-deep drain and died.

“The city has been destroyed,” the lawmaker regretted.

Siddiqi told Dawn.com that the protest took place for four hours as the police were delaying the registering of a first information report (FIR). “The police finally registered the FIR when I personally spoke to top police officers, including the Sindh inspector general,” he said, terming the incident “a tragedy for the poor family”.

SHO Butt said the police registered a case against unidentified suspects on the complaint of the victim’s maternal uncle Mohammed Ibrahim under Section 322 (manslaughter) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

One of the residents told Dawn.com that the victim and his 12-year-old brother used to sell french fries in the area.

“They had purchased potatoes and were on their way home when electricity in the area was cut,” the resident said.

“The owner of the nearby petrol pump had opened a car wash, whose operator would leave the manhole open when he washed cars to drain water,” they added. “The manhole was uncovered when one of the boys fell into it due to the darkness.”

The resident said that the protest continued until 1am on Wednesday, when the police, in the presence of Siddiqui, “promised” that they would try to get compensation from the petrol pump owner.

Open manholes have become a persistent hazard across Pakistan, posing serious risks to pedestrians and motorists alike. Despite repeated public complaints, authorities have failed to implement long-term solutions to prevent accidents and fatalities.

In April, the body of a minor girl was found in a drain in Karachi’s Liaquatabad neighbourhood, according to police.

A statement from the police said the minor’s body was recovered from a drain near Siddique Mosque and appeared to be one or two days old. It added that the body was taken to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital to ascertain the cause of death.

Liaquatabad SHO Ghulam Yasin told Dawn.com that the girl’s body was found floating in the drain near Angara Goth.

“It appeared that she was drowned somewhere else and the current of the water brought her there,” he said, adding that she was reported missing within the limits of Sachal Police Station on April 15.