Family dinner turns tragic as man dies after falling into open manhole in Vadodara

A tragic accident in Vadodara claimed the life of Vipulsinh Zala, who slipped into a 15–30-foot open manhole near the Manjalpur Sports Complex while out for dinner with his family. His relatives discovered his boots floating inside the pit during a search after he failed to return. Fire department personnel pulled him out, but doctors declared him dead at the hospital.

Vadodara: A man out for dinner with his family died after falling into an open manhole in Vadodara, officials said on Saturday.

Vipulsinh Zala, who was in his 40s, lost his life after he slipped into a 15-30 foot manhole allegedly kept open during cleaning near the Manjalpur Sports Complex, they said.

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His relative Girirajsinh Chudasama said Zala stepped out around 7 pm on Friday to park his car and asked his family to wait for him.

“When he did not return for over 20 minutes, we started searching for him. His mobile phone remained switched off,” Chudasama said.

During the search, the family noticed an open manhole. “When we looked inside, we saw his boots floating on the surface,” he said. Zala’s father is a retired deputy superintendent of police.

After being alerted, fire department personnel reached the spot and pulled Zala out of the pit. He was rushed to a hospital, but doctors declared him dead, said Vadodara Municipal Commissioner Arun Mahesh Babu.

“Strict action will be taken against the contract agency if any negligence is found. We have also sought an official report from the Water Supplies Department,” a senior civic official told the media.

Assistant Commissioner of Police Pranav Kataria said a case of accidental death has been registered for now.

“We have initiated a probe. After receiving the post-mortem report, we will call his family members and civic officials for further action. An FIR will be registered if negligence is established,” said the official.