8-Year-Old Falls Into Open Drain In UP, Swept For 50 Metres, Dies

On her way home from school, an eight-year-old fell into a drain and was swept 50 metres away before her body was retrieved by locals in Uttar Pradesh's Gorakhpur.

Amid heavy rains and the resultant flooding in Gorakhpur on Monday, Afreen was walking back home. As both the road and under-construction drain were submerged in water, she started walking on the slab of the drain.

At one place, there was no slab covering the drain, causing Afreen to fall into it as her younger brother shouted for help. Locals rushed to rescue the girl, whose body had swept 50 metres downstream.

Viral videos showed a man pulling the girl of of the drain by her leg and later performing CPR. When she remained unresponsive, another local picked her up and rushed her to the hospital amid rain, where she was declared dead.

Afreen's father Anish Qureshi, a labourer, said his daughter had desired to study and was admitted to a madrasa. He added that she dreamed of becoming a doctor. As his wife Aasman remained inconsolable, Anish blamed the contractor's negligence for his daughter's death.

Additional Municipal Commissioner Durgesh Mishra said the drain has been covered.