Amid widespread public anger over the death of three-year-old Ibrahim, who fell into an uncovered manhole in Karachi, the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) has held the Red Line Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project and a department store’s administration responsible, according to its investigation report submitted to the local government secretary.
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The report states that the ongoing BRT construction in the Nipa–Aziz Bhatti Park corridor has caused “severe damage and disruption of the entire drainage system”. It adds that evidence from inspectors and residents suggests the construction site itself was a “significant contributing factor” to the incident.
The tragedy occurred on Sunday when Ibrahim slipped into an open manhole outside a department store as his family exited the building. Despite frantic calls, no official rescue teams arrived. Residents arranged a crane using their own money and attempted digging, with Edhi and Chhipa volunteers assisting — yet lacking the technical expertise needed for such a complex operation.
Authorities only mobilised nearly 12 hours later, arriving around 10am the next day. Ibrahim’s body was found roughly 1.5 kilometres downstream in the drainage channel, 14 hours after he fell.
The incident sparked a wave of criticism from opposition lawmakers and a social-media outcry condemning government negligence. The KMC report further notes that drains in the area were temporarily covered with non-standard 2×2-foot slabs — a practice never used by KMC. One of these covers had reportedly been left open.
According to the report, BRT officials excavated and later paved over several cleaning pits without notifying or obtaining clearance from KMC. It concludes that the death resulted from the collective negligence of both the BRT authorities and the department store administration, who failed to secure the open drain.
