TN: Rescue operation of two-year-old stuck in borewell to take another 12 hours

TRICHY:  Since Friday, in Trichy of Tamil Nadu, a rescue operation of a two-year-old boy, stuck in a borewell is said to take another 12 hours, said a senior government official.

To reach the boy, Sujith, who is in a stable condition. The rescue team is drilling a one-meter-wide tunnel parallel to the borewell. The progress is slow due to the rocky terrain, the senior government official had said.

The fire service personnel will try to reach the child through a horizontal passage after the process of drilling is completed.

On Monday, Dr Radhakrishnan, Tamil Nadu Relief Commissioner said, "Rocky terrain has slowed the drilling of a new borewell. Rescue may take another 12 hours. 40 feet more to be drilled and then a passage needs to be cut. The child is in a stable condition and is being monitored by camera."

Measures are being taken to prevent the child from slipping further to a depth of 90 feet, officials said.

Police reports have said that, On Friday night, Sujith, who had been playing near the borewell, fell in at around 5.30 PM. There reports regarding the depth of the hole is conflicting, some say it is 600 feet deep, while others say it is at least 1,000 feet.

As per sources, actor Rajinikanth had also expressed his concern over the incident. "I pray for the rescue of the boy. Parents should take care of their children. Precautionary measures should have been taken," he said.

Critics have said that for such incidents of rescuing children trapped in borewells there is no standard operating procedure developed by the state and central governments.