Independent Report
Karachi, December 3, 2025: The BRT Red Line Project has issued a clarification regarding the tragic death of three-year-old Ibrahim, who fell into an open manhole near Chase Up Superstore on the night of November 30, 2025. The project administration expressed deep condolences and solidarity with the grieving family.
In an official statement, the BRT Red Line Environmental and Social Safeguard Manager emphasized that the incident occurred at a location significantly distant from the BRT construction zone, where no excavation, machinery, or construction activity was underway. The statement noted that the road condition at the site was intact and the incident involved an old sewerage channel manhole outside the project’s administrative or operational jurisdiction.
The administration also addressed circulating social media claims citing a letter from a senior KMC director, describing them as misleading. “There were no BRT construction activities at or around the site,” the statement clarified. It further highlighted that all BRT works are carried out only after obtaining relevant NOCs, and excavation areas are immediately secured. The parking area where the tragedy occurred belongs to the store and is far removed from the BRT project, making any direct link between the project and the incident unfounded.
The BRT Red Line management reaffirmed that, as an Asian Development Bank-supported initiative, strict Occupational Health & Safety (OHS) standards are applied and monitored continuously across construction sites. The administration assured full cooperation with all stakeholders and its commitment to maintaining high safety standards.
