KARACHI: A big tragedy was averted when five members of a family, including a teenage girl and a minor boy, fell into a 50footdeep manhole in Korangi’s Mehran Town area but were pulled out alive, officials said on Sunday.

They said that the incident took place at around 1pm when several people were about to board a bus to go to a wedding ceremony.

The officials said the bus was parked at the corner of the street with one of its wheels resting on the slabs and lid of a manhole. When people began boarding the vehicle, the RCC structure could not support their weight and collapsed, causing two women and as many children to fall into the manhole.

Seeing this, their host, AzamKohati, jumped into the drain to rescue the women and children, but he too got trapped.

Korangi Industrial Area SHO Nasir Mehmood said that area people, along with a team of local police station, rushed to the scene and rescued the five with the help of ladders and ropes. “They sustained minor injuries and were taken to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre for treatment,” he added.

Two women, teenage girl and boy fall into 50-foot-deep sewer after its cover collapsed

However, a Rescue-1122 spokesperson said that their central command and control received the incident alert and it immediately despatched a water rescue team and trained divers to the site.

“The team carried out a rapid operation and rescued all five affected individuals, who were heading to attend a wedding ceremony,” he said.

He said that the rescuers first pulled out Kohati, then the two women and the children. They were provided first aid on the spot and then shifted to the JPMC for further treatment.

The spokesperson identified the victims as Dilshad Shaukat, 40, Shamim, 55, Mariam Khan Mohammed, 15, and Usman, 12.

One of the women rescued from the drain was reported to be in critical condition, the spokesperson added.

He said that the drain was around 50-100 feet deep.

Deputy mayor takes notice

Deputy Mayor Salman Abdullah Murad took notice of the incident and confirmed the rescue of all five family members.

“The affected individuals were safely pulled out of the drain,” he said, adding that Rescue 1122 teams were promptly sent to the location and carried out the operation efficiently.

He added that the protection of human lives was the top priority of the municipal administration and appreciated the timely coordination and cooperation of emergency response agencies during the incident.

A week ago, an eight-year-old boy fell in an open manhole while playing outside his Mehran Town home and drowned.

Earlier in December, a three-year-old boy, Ibrahim, also fell into an open manhole in Gulshan-i-Iqbal. His body was recovered more than 15 hours after the incident was first reported.

According to the Edhi Foundation, 27 people had lost their lives after falling into open manholes and drains in the metropolis in 2025.

Published in Dawn, January 5th, 2026