Pregnant cow slips into open manhole in Bhayandar, rescued by fire brigade with help from locals

Open manholes in the twin-city have turned into yawning death traps not only for pedestrians and motorists, but for the cattle as well.

A pregnant cow that fell inside a drain due to an uncovered manhole in the Morwa village area near Bhayandar, was rescued in a complicated more than two-hour operation by the fire brigade personnel with the help of local villagers on Sunday night.

After hearing the cries of the cow in distress some villagers and employees of a nearby mandap decorator company tried to remove the cow, however, the task was very complicated owing to the animal's weight and the small opening of the drain.

After getting information, the fire brigade personnel immediately rushed to the spot. A special harness was made for the cow, so that she could be safely lifted out from that spot without causing more pain.

In order to make more space, the fire officials also broke a concretized section of the drain, beyond the lid area, so that the cow could be vertically pulled up and rescued.

“The real challenge for our team began after learning that she was pregnant and had to safely pull her up without any injury,” said chief fire officer- Prakash Borade.

The incident has yet again put the spotlight on the negligence of the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) towards the yawning death traps.

Over the past few years, several fatal mishaps have been reported in the twin-city because of open manholes.