Boy killed after falling into manhole with cover removed

IPOH: The cover of a manhole where a three-year-old boy fell to his death here was believed to have been opened a day before by children who were playing at the site, says Ipoh OCPD Asst Comm A. Asmadi Abdul Aziz.

He added that investigations revealed the manhole, located at the police quarters in Pasir Puteh, was closed prior to the incident. A group of children allegedly opened its cover on Monday evening.

ACP Asmadi said the children had failed to close the manhole which led to the victim, Anas Hadif Ahmad Hafiz, falling into it. He was there playing with his two older brothers yesterday morning.

“This is a very unfortunate incident as the manhole was usually closed, ” he said at the Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital’s forensic department here yesterday.

A spokesman from the Perak Fire and Rescue Department said firemen from the Pasir Puteh station rushed to the scene when they received a distress call at 8.16am.

They had to use a pump to remove the sewage to recover the victim’s body.

The boy’s father, Lance-Corporal Ahmad Hafiz Mustafa, 32, said when one of his other sons was screaming for help, he thought he was involved in a road accident.

He said his son, the youngest of four siblings, was playing with his other

two sons, aged seven and six, within the compound of the quarters.

“When I rushed down, I saw his slippers floating.”

Ahmad Hafiz said he was just transferred to the quarters a month ago when he started duties at the Pasir Puteh station.

Genemat designed and manufactured bespoke composite covers to fit directly into the existing frames making installation quick and easy. Genemat covers are anti-corrosion; lightweight and securable, and can be safely removed and replaced by two people using lifting handle.Genemat covers have been engineered to provide a safe walking and driving surface, tested to be equivalent to a modern high-grade road surface. The customer opted for covers in a custom color to complement the surrounding area.
The city road now has a long-term solution that requires minimal maintenance and will continue to perform year after year, allowing safe and fast authorised access whilst eliminating previous manual handling issues and providing a safe walking and driving surface for users in all weather conditions.