Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab on Wednesday apologised for the death of a three-year-old boy who fell into an open manhole near Nipa flyover, admitting that the city administration and rescue officials failed to respond effectively.

Mayor Wahab visited the home of the victim, Ibrahim, who died three days earlier after falling into a manhole in Gulshan-e-Iqbal.

Offering condolences to the family, he accepted responsibility for the tragic incident and assured strict action against those found negligent.

“I apologise for this incident as mayor. My top priority is to ensure that no other child suffers the same fate,” he said, adding that both he and the entire administration were remorseful over the loss.

According to the mayor, the relevant engineer from the Sewerage Corporation has been suspended, while the senior director of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation has also been removed.

The area’s mukhtiarkar and assistant commissioner are being suspended as well, he said.

Wahab added that action was also being taken against the SSP East and DC East.

He acknowledged that the response from Rescue 1122 and the City Wardens was inadequate, saying that their teams failed to work effectively.

He said the administration should have immediately restricted access to the area since 12-13 people were present at the scene, but that responsibility had not been fulfilled.

A new SOP has now been prepared to ensure the area is cordoned off immediately in similar situations, he added.

Calling the incident “tragic, painful and shameful,” Wahab said the government intends to learn from its mistakes, which is why suspensions and an inquiry have been ordered.

“As mayor, I was not successful in this incident, and I personally apologise,” he said. “May no mother lose her son or sister lose her brother in this way again.”

The child’s grandfather told the media that the mayor had assured the family that action would be taken against those responsible, and that some officers had already been suspended.

He expressed satisfaction over the commitments made.

The incident occurred on November 30, when Ibrahim fell into an open manhole outside a private departmental store near Nipa Chowrangi.

A distressing video of the child’s mother searching for him went viral on social media.

Residents and the family had launched their own search using machinery, but the boy could not be found throughout the night.