LAHORE: Police on Thursday arrested three people named in the first information report (FIR) after a woman and her nine- to ten-month-old daughter died when they fell into an under-construction sewer line near Bhatti Chowk.
The FIR, filed by the woman’s father under Section 322 (manslaughter) of the Pakistan Penal Code, listed the project manager, safety in-charge, and site in-charge of the construction as responsible for leaving the manhole open.
The child’s body was recovered from Saggian, around five kilometres from the incident site, by Rescue 1122’s diving team. The mother’s body had been recovered earlier during the early hours of Thursday. The victims reportedly fell into the open sewer after dismounting a rickshaw on Wednesday evening.
Conflicting early reports had raised doubts about the incident, with some authorities suggesting that the water level was too shallow to cause drowning and initially blaming the woman’s husband. Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz took notice of the case, directing authorities to expand the scope of action and punish those responsible. Two officials of TEPA, a subsidiary of the Lahore Development Authority, were also suspended for negligence related to uncovered manholes.
The tragic incident has highlighted persistent safety hazards in public areas, with hundreds of people visiting the site daily. Last month, a seven-year-old boy in Bahawalpur district died after falling into an open manhole, underscoring the recurring risks posed by inadequate construction and safety oversight.
