The dead body of seven-year-old Wisal Fahad was recovered from Nullah Leh near Ganjmandi, almost 48 hours after he drowned in an open sewerage drain in Westridge-III area. The incident occurred at approximately 8:15pm on Wednesday night while the child was playing in the street with other children during rain.
Rescue Operation and Recovery
Officials from Rescue 1122 confirmed at around 7:50pm on Friday that the body of the missing boy was found in Lai near Gawalmandi area. Wisal had drowned in an open drain near Street No. 14 in Westridge-III. Rescuers had been searching for the missing boy for two days.
Wisal, a Grade-II student at a local school, fell into the drain which was filled with garbage and overflowing due to heavy rain. Initially, neighbors and area residents searched for the body in the drain. Later, rescuers from the 1122 emergency service took over the search operation.
Search Efforts
The rescue service stated that after completing necessary procedures, they handed over the dead body to the area police. The body will be handed over to the family after the legal process is completed. Rescuers noted that the body was found in Leh, approximately five kilometers from the street where Wisal drowned.
Rescue 1122 conducted an uninterrupted search operation since the child went missing. The teams used water rescue, search, and other support teams, maintaining search operations across various areas throughout the night. Search teams conducted detailed searches in underground drains, main drains, potential obstacles, debris piles, and various points along the water flow, including six-foot-wide drain pipes that were clogged at various points, an official told The Nation.
Hazardous Conditions
The statement further noted that rescuers entered confined and hazardous spaces using Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus to continue the search operation, while water rescue personnel remained engaged in line searches and manual searches at different locations. To enhance effectiveness, heavy machinery and excavators were used to remove debris, garbage, and other obstacles from the main drain for a detailed search, ensuring that if the body was trapped anywhere, it could be located.
All available resources and expert teams of Rescue 1122 were utilized during the operation. A senior rescuer involved said they had to search many places multiple times at the family's request, which prolonged the time needed to reach Lai where the drain fell near Ganjmandi. He emphasized the need to cooperate with the aggrieved parents during the search.
Community Reaction
Muhammad Ashraf, an area resident, stated that municipal authorities were as responsible for the loss of innocent life as the parents who were negligent in taking care of the young boy. He said that area residents were unanimous in their decision to approach relevant authorities, including the Water and Sanitation Agency and Rawalpindi Municipal Corporation, as well as area politicians, to get the open sewerage drains covered to avoid such tragedies in the future.
