Arabic version: وفاة طفل بعد دخوله أنبوب تصريف في كاثرين

According to ABC News, a nine-year-old boy has drowned after entering a drainpipe at Katherine Low Level in the Northern Territory town of Katherine. NT Police said the boy was reported to have entered the pipe and not resurfaced.

Police said the report was made at about 5:15pm yesterday. Officers attended the scene and deployed divers, who located the child at 1:45am, according to a police statement.

NT Police Commander Neil Hayes said the child’s family was at the scene and was being provided with support. He described the death as an incredibly tragic incident, said welfare was being provided to attending members, and said police thoughts were with the boy’s family.

Commander Hayes said a report on the death would be prepared for the coroner. The death follows long-running warnings across the Northern Territory about the dangers for children playing in pipes and drains, particularly during the wet season. In 2014, an eight-year-old boy drowned while playing in a drain in Palmerston, with a coronial inquest recommending regular inspections of drains.