50 hours in borewell, efforts on to rescue 11-year-old boy in Chhattisgarh

The boy is conscious and responding, officials said. Food and other fluids are supplied to him through pipes at regular intervals. Another pipe has been installed for oxygen supply in the borewell

More than 50 hours after an 11-year-old boy fell in a borewell in Chhattisgarh’s Jangir Champa district on Friday, the efforts to rescue him are being continued for the third consecutive day on Sunday, police said.

Officials said that it will take another 10-12 hours to rescue the boy since digging of a pit vertically parallel to the borewell is still going on. (Sourced)

Officials said that the boy, Rahul Sahu, is conscious and also responding. Food and other fluids are supplied to him through pipes at regular intervals. Another pipe has been installed for oxygen supply in the borewell. Officials said that it will take another 10-12 hours to rescue the kid since digging of a pit vertically parallel to the borewell is still going on.

The Chhattisgarh government on Saturday also called robot specialists from Gujarat but officials said that the boy did not respond to the robot accurately hence it was not successful.

Sahu fell into the unused 80-feet-deep borewell, located in the backyard of his house in Pihrid village in Malkharoda development block around 4pm on Friday while he was playing there.

The rescue teams, comprising over 500 personnel, including officials of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the Army, have been working tirelessly, using ultra-advance machines and vehicles to evacuate the child safely. Around a dozen of Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and Indian Police Service (IPS) officers are deployed by the Chhattisgarh government in the village to overview the situation on ground.

“We have tried the robot but it was not successful because the kid is not responding to the command and other instructions given by the specialists as the boy has a speech and hearing impairment. Now we are using the traditional method. The administration has started digging a pit parallel to borewell since Friday evening, which is in its final stage. Subsequently, a tunnel will then be created which will enable rescuers to reach the borewell and evacuate the child,” said superintendent of police, Janjgir Champa, Vijay Agarwal adding that it will take another 10-12 hours to complete the tunnel.

Agarwal said that there is some water inside the borewell where the child is trapped and the NDRF personnel are trying to drain it out with the help of a vessel tied to a rope.

“My kid is breathing and I am sure that he will be rescued today. I have not slept for the last two night... This is a very difficult time for us. But I will thank the Chhattisgarh chief minister, who gave instructions to the local administration to save my kid at any cost,” said Ram Kumar Sahu, Rahul’s father.

Meanwhile,chief minister Bhupesh Baghel is in touch with the officials and constantly receiving updates about the operation. Baghel also spoke to Rahul’s family members twice over the phone and assured them that every possible step would be taken to save the child.