Two-year-old boy trapped in borewell dies, body retrieved
Sand had fallen over the toddler after his fall, leaving only his hands and fingertips visible to the CCTV camera which was later lowered inside the borewell
Three-year-old Sujith Wilson, who fell into a borewell in Tiruchirappalli district on Friday, has died, government officials said early Tuesday morning.
His body was found “dismembered” and “in a highly decomposed state” inside the well, officials said.
Rescuers reported a foul smell from the well on Monday night and the body was taken out by 4am.
Sujith, youngest of two sons of Wilson and Mary of Nadukkatupati village, was stuck at 88 deep in the well, which was said to be nearly 1,000 feet deep. He had accidentally fell into it while playing with other children. The well was in fact covered a few months back, but incessant rain swept mud into it and opened the hole on top, through which the child fell.
Primary assumption is that Sujith died to due to suffocation and starvation.
Commissioner of Revenue Administration J. Radhakrishnan told the media at 2.30am: “We have noticed the decaying smell from the borewell. The medical team learned the body is in a highly decomposed state. Ater several hours of the marathon rescue operation, we are in a position to declare the sad news that Sujith is no more.
“It was then decided to call off the search and take out the body.”
The rescue bid lasted 80 hours. Tiruchirappalli district collector S. Sivarasu told the media at the village that two Fire and Rescue Services personnel were lowered into the freshly drilled shat on Monday aternoon, using a ladder and with all necessary support like oxygen, for initial assessment of the condition inside.
Non-stop rain and rocky terrain had hampered efforts to rescue the child. The National Disaster Relief Force led the rescue operation, deploying modern technology. Efforts were made to dig another pit 98 feet deep, parallel to the borewell, through which rescue personnel could go through, dig a connecting tunnel and pull Sujith out. But the rocks prevented the digging.
Sand had fallen over the toddler ater his fall, leaving only his hands and fingertips visible to the CCTV camera which was later lowered inside the borewell. Officials had said earlier on Monday that rescuing the child could take 12 hours.
The authorities were atacked on Tuesday for messing up the operation though the best rescue teams available. Ponraj, an adviser to late President APJ Abdul Kalam, said: “The government has put in so much of hard work without a scientific approach. Had they planned well, the boy should not have been let to slip further deeper.”
The state government, however, put up a strong defence. “We deployed the best technology,” Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam said. Health Minister C. Vijay Baskar was camping in the village to oversee the rescue efforts.
Final rites of the toddler were completed at the Fathima Pudur cemetery in Tiruchirapalli district. Leader of Opposition and DMK chief MK Stalin paid his last respects to the child at the cemetery. Prayers were held by various sections of society for the child’s early rescue, while leaders such as Prime Minister Narendra
Modi and former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi wished the well-being of the child.
The body was laid to rest at a cemetery in the Nadukatupati village.
As the news of the toddler’s death spread, a pall of gloom descended over the village.
The boy fell into the borewell around 5.30 p.m. on Friday and got stuck at 30 feet. As the rescue efforts began, he slipped and fell further down to about 90 feet.
In his condolence message, Chief Minister K. Palaniswami said it was painful to hear about the death of Wilson despite the day and night rescue efforts that were mounted. Blaming the AIADMK government for reacting slowly in rescuing the boy, DMK President M.K. Stalin wondered why the army was not called in to save the boy.
Stalin said the government has the land profiles of each district, and whether the underground terrain is rocky or not must be there in the records. But, it took three days for the government to realise that the underground terrain is rocky in Nadukatupati village.