Surat: With no end in sight to civic mismanagement, a tragic incident took place in Wednesday when a 2-year-old child fell into an uncovered manhole prompting a massive rescue operation. The search for the victim is underway for the last 16 hours. The child has been identified as Kedar Vegad, a resident Suman Sadhana Housing.
The incident took place in Variav village of Surat. A team of fire department launched a search and rescue effort after receiving information of the incident.
Incident due to uncovered manhole
“The boy fell into the uncovered manhole as the lid was damaged by a heavy vehicle. An area of 100-150 has been scanned to locate the child,” a report in ETV Bharat said quoting Chief Fire Officer Basant Parikh.
According to reports, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) is also helping local authorities to locate and safely rescue the child. At least 60-70 workers are engaged in rescuing the child. The official said it will take some time to locate and rescue the victim.
Rescue efforts underway for 16 hours
The child was going to the market with his mother when he broke free from her after buying an ice cream. As he started running towards his mother, he stepped on to the damaged lid of the manhole and immediately fell into it. It is alleged that there was no cover on the manhole.
Shocked by the incident, the child’s mother and onlookers raised an alarm. Soon, the child’s family members launched a search for him.
