JEDDAH — Investigations into the death of Ammar, an 8-year-old boy who fell inside an uncovered manhole last Sunday in Al-Nuzha district, are still ongoing. The death marked the fourth manhole-related death in less than four months, Makkah daily reported. Muhammad Ali, Ammar's father, recalled the incident and how the family is coping. “My twin sons, Ammar and Omar, were in the 3rd grade. Every day, after Asr prayers, they used to go to the mosque to study the Qur'an with our neighbor's son. I warned them against walking in the middle of the street. Unfortunately, the pavement was the place where one of them lost his life. After Ammar's death, Omar is suffering from psychological issues as he witnessed the entire incident,” he said. “When the three boys were approaching our home, they passed next to a residential building under renovation. There was a three-meter-deep septic tank covered with a cardboard box. Ammar fell into the septic tank at 5:30 p.m. “His brother Omar rushed to the house to inform the family. Now Omar cannot sleep at night and has become withdrawn. He waits for his brother to return from the hospital. He needs psychiatric rehabilitation,” he added. The father called on the concerned authorities to take necessary measures in order to reveal the circumstances that led to the incident so he can complete procedures for his son's burial. Spokesman of the Civil Defense in Makkah region Col. Said Sarhan said Civil Defense rescue teams descended into the three-meter-deep septic tank to recover the boy's body as he had already passed away. “Civil Defense investigation teams have started their preliminary work. Also, forensic evidence teams have been summoned to the scene of the incident to complete investigations. The Civil Defense has handed over the case dossier to the pertinent authority,” he said. Makkah daily interviewed Mughram Al-Amri, the owner of the building undergoing renovations. He claimed the septic tank was covered but the renovation works in the building caused the cover to break. Workers then placed a cardboard box over the exposed manhole without notifying him of the situation. “I was shocked to hear the boy had fallen inside. The police and Civil Defense interviewed me over the incident and I informed them of what had happened. Jeddah Municipality supervisor paid a visit to the site and fined me SR6,000 due to the scattering of building equipment outside the perimeter of the building. He did not mention the septic tank,” said Al-Amri.
