Man Dies After Falling Into Open Manhole During Drain Work in Mumbai

The deceased, identified as Aslam Sheikh, allegedly stepped into an uncovered manhole.

MUMBAI: A 60-year-old man died after falling into an open manhole on Khairani Road in Sakinaka on Thursday afternoon while civic drain maintenance work was underway. The deceased, identified as Aslam Sheikh, allegedly stepped into an uncovered manhole.

According to eyewitnesses, three contractual workers had removed the manhole cover to carry out drain maintenance. Sheikh, who was reportedly talking on his mobile phone, failed to notice the opening and fell into the stormwater drain. The workers immediately lowered a ladder into the manhole in an attempt to rescue him. However, they recovered only his umbrella and slippers.

Due to the strong flow of rainwater inside the drain, officials said it was impossible to determine the direction in which he had been swept away, triggering a search operation by the Mumbai Fire Brigade. After an extensive search, firefighters located Sheikh's body downstream and retrieved it from the drain.

Police have registered a case, and along with civic authorities, are investigating the circumstances that led to the fatal accident. The tragedy led to political outrage, with Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and Leader of the Opposition in the BMC, Kishori Pednekar, visiting the spot. She said it was shocking that such an incident could occur on a busy arterial road while civic works were in progress and questioned the absence of adequate safety measures around the open manhole.

Mumbai deputy mayor Sanjay Ghadi and Shiv Sena leader Amey Ghole also visited the accident site. Ghole described the incident as "heartbreaking" and said an innocent citizen had lost his life due to negligence. He demanded strict legal action against the assistant commissioner of the L Ward, the contractor executing the work, and all officials responsible for the alleged lapse.

The incident comes amid an ongoing wet spell in the city.