Bangalore's search for missing baby

The killer drain: In a tragic incident, an 18-month-old boy, Vijay, fell into an open storm water drain on Wednesday morning in Bangalore. The incident happened at 7.30 am.

The flow of water in the drain was strong due to heavy rain. A massive search was launched for the boy.

The drain, along with the Madiwala Lake where it opens, was manually sifted and the searched. (NDTV)

Hope fades: Sitting dazed in her tiny hut in south Bangalore, Lakshmi holds her older child close as she receives the news that her baby is unlikely to come home again.

In a small voice, she says, "He went to play in the morning. He fell into the drain at 7:30 this morning. He is one and a half years old." (NDTV)

Search operation on: For nine hours, several firemen searched an uncovered 3.5 kilometre drain for any sign of Vijay.

They followed the storm drain from the point the child fell in to Madiwala Lake.

Heavy rain forced the water in the drain to flow quickly, indicating the sort of current a little baby would be up against. (PTI)

All hopes lost? The drain has been manually sifted. On Thursday morning, the search operation will continue with boats, but the leader of the rescue mission says he has given up hope.

"There's no chance of finding the body," comments B K Hamppagl, Deputy Director, Fire Services. (NDTV)

Firemen in a huddle: More than 100 fire force personnel were part of the search, which they say is now hopeless.

The drain was not covered and ongoing work elsewhere meant water was diverted here and the water flow here was more than normal. (NDTV)

Another life lost: Earlier this monsoon, another child Abhishek had fallen into an open drain while walking with his mother at night.

His body was never recovered. But it appears not enough lessons were learnt after that tragedy. (NDTV)