Sudanese boy rescued after eight hours trapped in rubbish lorry

A crowd gathered as rescuers worked overnight to free the boy (Omer Balal/Facebook)

A 10-year-old boy has been rescued after spending eight hours in the crushing mechanism of a rubbish lorry in Sudan's capital, Khartoum.

The boy, identified by police as Majed Mubarak Ibrahim, was working with a truck run by the Khartoum State Cleaning Corporation.

It is believed he was pulled into the lorry as he threw in some rubbish.

He is now in hospital, but the police have given no further details about his condition.

People shared photos on social media of rescuers at work overnight trying to release the boy.

Eyewitnesses said one of the child's palms was visible - trapped in the hydraulic hatch.

One clip showed a welder at work, another captured the arm of a digger being used to try to force open the hatch^[1].

A crowd of onlookers surrounded the vehicle - some offering advice on how to free the child.

https://www.facebook.com/100002679060719/videos/3320775078204109^[2]

Social commentators say the accident sheds light on the issue of child labour in Sudan, where children are often exploited and some recruited as soldiers.

The tough economic realities in Sudan have led some children to work in dangerous jobs.

There are large numbers of street children in Khartoum and other big cities.

According to the UN children's agency (Unicef), around three million Sudanese children are out of school.

They work in a variety of jobs such as cleaning, vending, bricklaying and rubbish collection - risking exploitation and abuse.

Poor pay and working conditions at the Khartoum State Cleaning Corporation have also been highlighted by some on social media as employees there have been protesting recently.

One activist, El-Sadiq Eissa, tweeted about an encounter he had had with an ex-employee of the company whose leg was amputated following a work accident.

According to the activist, the man is now begging on the streets of Khartoum after the company refused pay for his medical treatment.

References

1. ^{^} another captured the arm of a digger being used to try to force open the hatch (www.facebook.com)
2. ^{^} https://www.facebook.com/100002679060719/videos/3320775078204109 (www.facebook.com)