Shocking moment toddler plunges down a manhole

This is the heart-stopping moment a toddler gets swallowed up by a hidden manhole to the horror of her mother. 

As the young girl stepped on to the circular lid covering the deep shaft, it suddenly flipped forward and sent the child plunging down.   

Throwing down her handbag, the tot’s mother frantically heaved off the lid and dived down headfirst to rescue the trapped girl.

The terrifying experience sparked an investigation by police in Tatarstan, western Russia, into the sloppy building works.

The young girl steps on to the covered manhole (left) which was loosely fitted and sent her disappearing down the deep shaft (right) while on a walk with her mother in Tatarstan, western Russia

CCTV footage captured the young child’s frightening entrapment.

The 15-second-clip shows the mother and daughter strolling through a park on an overcast day.

The parent, wearing a puffy grey jacket, pushes the empty pram on the road a few feet away from the child who is wandering on the grass. 

In the child’s path, a round metal lid appears to be embedded into the ground and, unaware that it is actually loosely fitted, she plants a foot on it.

At first, the lid seems secure, but as the child shifts her weight over to the far side, the metal cover tilts on its axis and sweeps the floor from her feet.

As the child shifts her weight to the far side of the lid, it tilts forward on its axis and sends the child plunging down the hole (left), hitting the shaft’s edge on the way down (right)

Within a split-second, the girl slides down the hole – hitting the shaft’s edge on the way down – and vanishes from sight.

The mother spots the girl falling just as she disappears down the hole, and races towards her, pushing the pram away.

She flings down her handbag and pulls off the metal lid, which is still tilted upright.

With her legs outstretched on the grass to keep her steady, she sticks her head down the hole.

The mother outstretches her legs on the grass to keep herself balanced, before sticking her head down the shaft to rescue the tot

Bypassers sprint over to help her and, with the help of another woman, they haul the child back up on to the grass.  

Reports said the child had fallen into a sewer but it was unclear if the manhole was for sewage, drainage or water supplies.

Police in the Russian region of Tatarstan were reportedly checking the incident amid uncertainty where exactly it had taken palce.

A regional prosecution official said: ‘So far we have no exact information on this.’

If it became clear where the incident had happened, then law enforcement would ‘evaluate the actions of utility services or other responsible organisations’. 

Bypassers sprint over and, with the help of another woman, the mother hauls her daughter back to the surface