Ottawa birthday girl, 7, falls into tampered manhole
Last Updated: Monday, April 2, 2007 | 10:30 AM ET
CBC News
A 7-year-old girl received minor injuries when she fell partway down a manhole in Ottawa Saturday after vandals removed the metal cover and put an election sign over the opening.
The girl was playing at her birthday party at Utman Park in Ottawa's south end Barrhaven neighbourhood around 4 p.m. ET when she disappeared into the hole while running, Ottawa police said.
The girl managed to avoid slipping to the bottom of the two-metre-deep hole, which was partly filled with water, by getting some footing on a pipe, police said.
She gripped the edge of the manhole with her elbows and cried for help. Nearby children could not see her, police said, but two older cousins found the girl and pulled her to safety.
She received minor back injuries and was very traumatized by the incident, police said.
Police are asking the public to help identify those responsible for removing the manhole cover.
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