Infant rescued from 60-foot deep borewell after 48 hours in Haryana

Hisar: After a 48-hour-long struggle, an 18-month-old child who fell into a borewell here was rescued safely on Friday. Nadim fell into the 60-foot deep borewell while playing near his house in Balsamand village in Hisar district of Haryana. As soon as Army and NDRF personnel pulled out Nadim from the borewell, the elated villagers started raising slogans like 'Bharat Mata ki Jai'. "The child has been brought out after a difficult rescue operation. He is totally safe. We have sent him to the medical college at Agroha in Hisar, where doctors will examine him thoroughly and keep him under observation," Hisar's Deputy Commissioner Ashok Kumar Meena told PTI.

The massive rescue operation here had been going on for the past nearly 48 hours after the child fell into the borewell Wednesday evening. Even the Holi celebrations in the village on Thursday remained subdued as everyone was praying for the child's safety. As the rescuers on Friday reached close to the spot where the child was trapped, digging by machines was stopped and was carried out manually to ensure that soil did not fall over the infant, officials said. Local villagers formed a human chain to help authorities in digging the soil. Earlier, the authorities had started digging a parallel well about 20 feet away from the borewell and subsequently, they created a tunnel to bring out the child safely. The child's movements were monitored using a night-vision camera which was dropped inside the borewell. Nadim was playing with some friends who were plucking fruits from a tree when he suddenly fell into the borewell. Afterwards, his family members and the villagers informed police.

The child's father is a labourer. Earthmovers, drilling machines and other equipment had been pressed into service to rescue the child, even as oxygen tubes were dropped to help him breathe. Biscuits and juices were supplied to the child. A medical team had also been deployed at the incident site. The deputy commissioner had earlier said that legal action would be taken against the person who dug the borewell without taking any permission from the department concerned. He said a survey would also be carried out in the district to find out how many borewells had been left open and could pose danger. The incident has again brought to the fore the dangers posed by uncovered borewells, which have turned into death traps for children.