Rescuers in MP race to save 4-year-old boy trapped in 40-ft-deep borewell

Mangalore Today News Network

Bhopal, Mar 10, 2018 : Rescuers are racing against time to save a 4-year-old child who fell into a 40-foot deep open borewell on Saturday in Dewas district, over 153 km from Bhopal.

 

An earthmoving machine was digging around the borewell to reach the child who has been identified as Roshan, son of a farm labourer Bhim Singh of Umriya village. Locals said the boy fell into the borewell around noon while he was playing in the area. Villagers who heard his cries for help, informed the authorities about it. A rescue team with doctors and an ambulance was sent from the district headquarters Dewas nearly 110 km away.

The borewell where the boy fell had been dug in the farm of one Hiralal a few weeks back. The digging had not been completed and the water level had not been reached.

A large crowd quickly gathered around the site where the rescue mission was in progress. Police have also been deployed in the area to the control crowd and ensure smooth rescue operation.

The rescue operations stared around 1 pm. The rescue team has also placed a pipe deep into the borewell to pump oxygen to enable the child to breathe normally. Another pipe to supply water to the child was also lowered into the borewell.

Collector Dewas Ashish Singh, who was on the spot, said they had sought help of military and state disaster response force to rescue the child.

“A rescue team of military led by a major is on way to Dewas from Bhopal. A team of SDRF is also on way to Dewas. A camera was lowered into the borewell which has shown the movement of the child. The child is stuck at around 27 feet level. We have dug out to a level of 18 feet. Also, water mixed with glucose is being fed to the child. I am hoping that the child will be rescued by evening,” he said

Over the past few years many children have fallen into borewells in rural India. Most have died. A common rescue strategy in such cases involves digging a parallel borewell and tunnel at the point where the child is suspected to be stuck. This consumes time and makes rescue operations laborious.

When the incident occurred, the parents of the child had gone to work on a farm. The couple has two other children.



courtesy:HT