The funeral prayers of three-year-old Ibrahim, who died after falling into an open manhole near Nipa Chowrangi, were offered in Shah Faisal Colony on Monday as the tragedy triggered public anger and conflicting accounts over how the child’s body was retrieved.

Ibrahim, the only child of his parents, slipped from their hands late Sunday night outside a departmental store and fell into an uncovered manhole around 11:30 pm.

Residents and the family searched through the night but found no trace despite repeated calls to authorities.

The child’s grandfather said he contacted all relevant departments, but “everyone disconnected the call after hearing the issue.”

He claimed even the Karachi mayor’s phone was switched off. “Had the search started at night, the outcome might have been different,” he said.

According to rescue officials, the body was recovered after a 15-hour search on Monday, about half a kilometre from the incident site, and handed over to the family.

However, a garbage picker named Tanveer disputed the official version, claiming that he, not the rescue machinery, located and recovered the child and handed the body to residents.

The funeral was attended by a large number of family members, neighbours, and political and religious figures, including Jamaat-e-Islami Karachi chief Munim Zafar and MQM lawmaker Shariq Jamal.

Videos from the night of the incident, showing the child’s distraught mother pleading, “For God’s sake, save my child”, went viral on social media, drawing widespread grief and criticism.

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has ordered an inquiry into why the manhole was left uncovered.

Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab described the site as a “stormwater drain” and said investigations were also underway into why rescue equipment and ambulances were not provided promptly.

Wahab became visibly irritated when questioned about calls for his resignation, accusing political rivals of exploiting the tragedy.

He claimed that 88,000 manhole covers had been installed over the past year and assured action where negligence was proven.

Jamaat-e-Islami leader Hafiz Naeemur Rehman strongly criticised the provincial administration, saying Karachi’s infrastructure had “collapsed to the point where children are dying in gutters.”

He accused the Sindh government of prioritising land grabs over public safety and demanded urgent rehabilitation of University Road and the revival of the BRT project.

Data shows at least 20 people, including women and children, have died this year after falling into open manholes and drains across Karachi, raising renewed concerns about urban safety, civic negligence, and delayed emergency response.