A four-year-old boy who fell into a manhole here has been found dead by the Civil Defense.

Divers found the body of the child, Abdullah, after a search lasting over 8 hours 25 minutes, according to a report in a local publication. This is the fifth such incident in the city over the past 12 months.

Col. Saeed Sarhman, spokesman of the Civil Defense in Makkah, said rescue teams received a report at 12 a.m. on Sunday that a child had fallen into a manhole in Umm Al-Qura Road in Al-Safa district. The Civil Defense sent out eight divers with back up teams and lighting equipment.

Divers searched the 4-meter-deep sewage tank for several hours but could not find the child. The teams had simultaneously pumped out the water from the tank using equipment provided by the National Water Company (NWC). "Eventually, after hours of work, a diver was able to retrieve the body of the deceased child.”

Investigations revealed that the child was with his father, an Arab national, at a local barbershop prior to the incident. When they left the shop, they found that a tanker had parked behind the vehicle and was pumping out wastewater from an open manhole.

As the father looked for a way out, the child walked towards the open manhole, which was close to their vehicle, slipped and fell into it. His father tried unsuccessfully to rescue him, according to the report.

An investigation has been launched into the incident, with officials questioning the driver of the tanker who was present when the child fell into the manhole.

Abdulmajeed Al-Ghamdi, Jeddah municipality spokesman, said manholes are “not the responsibility of the municipality, but fall under the jurisdiction of the NWC.”

Abdullah Al-Sabar, public relations manager of the NWC, said the “Civil Defense should be contacted on the matter because they have all the details at this time.”