KARACHI: An elderly man tragically lost his life after falling into a drainage nullah in the Zaman Town neighborhood of Korangi, authorities confirmed on Wednesday.
Rescue officials reported that the incident took place near the Korangi Kabaddi Ground. The man, who was walking alongside his bicycle while carrying goods, slipped into the nullah in the darkness, due to the absence of any protective fencing.
According to police, the accident occurred around 6:30 pm on Monday. CCTV footage capturing the event has since been shared publicly. The deceased has been identified as Kale Khan, a resident of Sector 34/3 in Zaman Town.
Preliminary investigations suggest that the primary reason behind the tragedy was the lack of a safety barrier around the nullah. Kale Khan, who lived with his children in a rented home, is survived by two sons and two daughters. His funeral prayers have been offered, and he has been laid to rest at a local cemetery.
Residents of the area expressed their frustration, stating that the nullah is situated opposite a center and school for visually impaired and special needs children. They noted that multiple complaints had been submitted to authorities requesting the installation of a protective wall and regular cleaning, but no action was taken.
This incident follows a recent accident in Karachi involving a three-year-old child who fell into an open manhole and tragically died. Efforts by locals to rescue the child involved pooling funds to bring machinery, but it took over 14 hours for rescue teams to arrive. Eyewitnesses reported delays and criticized the response time of government agencies.
In response to the recent tragedies, the Sindh Local Government Department suspended several officials, including Imran Ahmed Rajput, the senior director of municipal services at Karachi Metropolitan Corporation, Rashid Fayyaz, assistant executive engineer at the Town Municipal Corporation, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, and Waqar Ahmed, the executive engineer of the Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation.
