Body of Lahore Woman Along With Daughter Found
LAHORE: Authorities have recovered the bodies of a woman and her minor daughter who fell into an open sewerage line near Bhatti Chowk, bringing a tragic end to the search operation that continued for several hours.
According to police officials, the woman’s body was first recovered from a disposal station on Outfall Road, while the body of her young daughter was later found after an extended search of the sewerage system. Officials said both were swept away due to strong water flow in the sewer line at the time of the incident.
Lahore Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Operations Faisal Kamran said the incident occurred during peak hours when the water pressure inside the sewerage line was high. He explained that the strong flow carried the victims far from the location, adding that the water level later receded as the night progressed.
Rescue 1122 teams, along with police and municipal authorities, carried out a large-scale and challenging operation, navigating hazardous conditions inside the sewerage network to locate the victims.
Police said investigations are ongoing to determine whether the incident was purely accidental or involved negligence or foul play. Earlier, the woman’s husband was taken into custody for questioning after the victim’s father raised concerns about strained relations between the couple over the past few months. Operations SSP Mohammad Tauqir said it was too early to reach any conclusion, adding that all aspects were being thoroughly examined.
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz took immediate notice of the incident and ordered the formation of a fact-finding committee, directing it to submit a report within 24 hours. Acting on her instructions, two officials of the Traffic Engineering and Planning Agency (TEPA), a subsidiary of the Lahore Development Authority, were suspended for negligence related to uncovered manholes.
The incident has once again highlighted serious safety concerns over open sewerage lines in urban areas. In recent months, several fatal accidents involving uncovered manholes have been reported in different cities, raising questions over civic negligence and public safety. Authorities have assured that action will be taken against those responsible and that measures will be implemented to prevent such tragedies in the future.
