Mounika, a nine-year-old girl passed away after she fell into an open manhole in Kalasiguda in Secunderabad on Saturday, April 29. The incident happened when the child, a fourth-grade student, reportedly went to fetch groceries from a nearby shop.
The body was later retrieved from the drain by the Disaster Response Force (DRF) and sent to Gandhi Hospital for post-mortem. The police have registered a case of suspicious death and are investigating the incident.
According to an eyewitness, Mounika was with her elder brother when the incident happened. “First, it was the elder brother who fell. The girl panicked, and while helping him get up, she slipped into the open manhole. We were around when the incident took place,” they said.
Baby Mounika wanted to save her brother but unfortunately fell, washed away, we searched for her for long but sadly found her dead body - Eye Witness. pic.twitter.com/aFZsY9T22B
— Nellutla Kavitha (@iamKavithaRao) April 29, 2023
The Mahankali Police have confirmed that Mounika fell into the manhole while trying to help her brother. “According to preliminary information, the elder brother, a child with intellectual disabilities, first fell down and Mounika tried to save him. As of now, we are unsure whether he fell into the manhole or slipped and fell on the ground as the street was inundated,” the police said.
Hyderabad received severe rainfall in the past few days and the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has announced a red alert in several areas including - Serilingampally, Begumpet, Kukatpally, Gajularamaram, Capra, Secunderabad, and Malkajgiri. Some areas recorded the highest rainfall – 6 cm – causing floods on roads and water logging in several houses. Videos of cars moving through deep waters and washing away bikes parked on roads have been circulating on social media.
Many areas in #Hyderabad received over 78 cms of #rainfall today. As per IMD data, with 57 mm of rainfall, this is the second wettest day that the city has experienced in April in the last decade. Such rains were last experienced on 13 April 2015. And we call it peak #summer! pic.twitter.com/orbhAcT4gT
— Preeti Biswas (@Preeti_Biswas) April 29, 2023
Following the death of the child, Hyderabad Mayor Gadwal Vijayalakshmi visited Mounika’s family and announced an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh. The Mayor also visited the spot where the incident took place. The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) staff has also erected barricades and signages on the spot to alert residents about the open manhole.