Rescuers step up efforts to save toddler from borewell
Officials dig parallel tunnel to reach two-year-old, CM briefs PM Modi on rescue op
CHENNAI: Rescuers were racing against time to save a child who fell into a 600-feet abandoned borewell near Trichy in Tamil Nadu three days ago, with officials stating on Monday that they were only a few hours away from reaching the two-year-old.
Sujith Wilson fell into the borewell, dug up by his father, while playing near his house on Friday evening. According to officials familiar with the rescue operation, the child was initially stuck at a depth of 25 feet but slipped to 88 feet after the tubewell caved in during the rescue efforts.
Initially, the rescuers tried to lift the toddler out by using a rope. But after four failed attempts, they changed the strategy. They planned to drill a 98-foot-deep parallel tunnel, wide enough for rescuers to enter. Rescuers also planned to build a hole sideways from the parallel tunnel to reach the boy, officials said.
“We are confident of rescuing the boy. With drilling machines and rigs, the [parallel] tunnel has been dug up to 50 feet and the rocks are giving way. From here, it will only take a couple of hours to reach the boy through a sideway,” Tamil Nadu health minister C Vijayabhaskar said.
Efforts were on in full swing to reach the child at the time of going to press. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and personnel from the fire and rescue services personnel were stationed at the operation site, which has been covered with tarpaulin sheets in view of occasional mild showers, officials familiar with the rescue operation said.
Commissioner of revenue administration, J Radhakrishnan, said they were trying to monitor the child’s health condition through cameras but were not able to ascertain his medical status at the moment.
“All technical efforts are in place to try and prevent the soil from loosening. The rescue operations will not be called off at any cost. There will be no let-up in the efforts. At the same time, we don’t want to give any false hope to the parents of the child,” Radhakrishnan said
Officials said the site’s rocky terrain was hampering the rescue efforts as they were wary of making the soil loose inside the borewell, which may result in the boy slipping further down.
The rescue effort has attracted national attention, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeting on Monday that he has talked to Tamil Nadu chief minister E Palaniswami about the ongoing operation.
“My prayers are with the young and brave Sujith Wilson. Spoke to CM EPS regarding the rescue efforts underway to save Sujith. Every effort is being made to ensure that he is safe,” Modi tweeted.