5-yr-old boy dies falling into sewer

A five-year-old boy died after he fell into a sewer in the capital's Shyampur yesterday.

Nirob Hossain Ismail was playing with other children near his house in Palpara area around 3:30pm. Suddenly, a playmate pushed him and he fell through an opening of the industrial sewer, bereaved mother Nazma Khatun said, citing one of the children.

Around five hours later, his body was found about a kilometre away, at Shyampur Sena Kalyan Ghat, where the sewer empties into the Buriganga river.

He was whisked off to Dhaka Medical College Hospital where doctors pronounced him dead.

Nirob

Locals alleged that a cover slab had for long been missing at the spot through which Nirob fell down.

The industries' owners association of Shyampur Industrial Area is responsible for the maintenance of the sewer, said Officer-in-Charge Kazi Wazed Ali of Kadamtali Police Station.

"We are checking if there was any negligence on their part," the OC told The Daily Star last night.

Local lawmaker Abu Hossain Babla visited the spot and said stern actions would be taken against those responsible for the incident.

Nirob's father Rezaul, who works at a Pran-RFL factory in Gawsia of Narayanganj, said he was all set to move from the area next month.

"But what's the use of it now!" he wailed.

Five-year-old went missing falling down a sewer, at Shyampur in the capital yesterday afternoon. Photo: Star

On December 26 last year, a four-year-old boy named Jihad fell down a 300-foot well-shaft while playing with other children in the capital's Shahjahanpur Railway Colony.

His body was pulled out by a group of volunteers around 3:00pm the following day, shortly after the government agencies called off the rescue bid, saying there was no sign of the boy inside the well.