A 10-year-old boy has been rescued from a 140-foot borewell at Guna in Madhya Pradesh after a long grueling 16-hour rescue operation. The boy has been identified as Sumit Meena, who was playing with his kite when he fell into the open bore shaft at Pipliya village on Saturday. The authorities managed to rescue him and sent him to the hospital on Sunday for further treatment.
Sumit Meena fell into the borewell at around 5 pm on Saturday. The borewell, not casing-equipped and without water in it, made it a tough rescue operation. Trapped at the depth of 39 feet, Sumit’s plight prompted immediate action from rescuers, who formed teams comprising members of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF).
A parallel 25-foot pit was dug near the borewell for the rescuers to create access. They dug up a hole and dug in using their hands to dig their way to the boy while the oxygen was consistently pushed through the bore well, and rescue workers focused their minds on keeping the child aware and stable as daylight left the scene and nighttime dropped the temperature. Finally, it took 16 hours, when Sumit was taken safely out of the well, he was rushed to hospital.
#WATCH | Guna ASP Man Singh Thakur said, “Sumit fell into the borewell yesterday afternoon at around 3:30 pm. The rescue operation to take him out began at around 6 pm. Today morning at around 9:30 am, Sumit was taken out of the borewell. He has been taken to the hospital, his… https://t.co/sUmShJhrG5 pic.twitter.com/Aw5V6rHFh1
— ANI (@ANI) December 29, 2024
The rapid action taken by the rescue team received appreciation from Raghowgarh Congress MLA, Jaivardhan Singh. He mentioned that NDRF was reaching its turning point and the child’s survival was solely based on oxygen supply. A synergy among the local authority, the rescue team, and the locals was required for successful accomplishment of the task.
Struggle In Rajasthan
While one life was saved, the rescue operation for a three-year-old girl, Chetna, in Rajasthan’s Kotputli continues. Chetna has been trapped in a 700-foot-deep borewell for seven days, and despite extensive efforts, her situation remains critical. Rescue teams have dug a parallel pit and have been trying to reach her, but heavy rain and operational delays have hampered progress.
Chetna’s mother has made a tearful appeal for her daughter’s rescue, focusing on the emotional toll to the family. So far, efforts to send food and water down the borewell have been unsuccessful. The authorities have been criticized over delays in adopting more effective rescue methods.
Pattern Of Tragic Incidents
This is the latest in a disturbing trend in India-children falling into open borewells. Barely two weeks ago, a five-year-old boy had died after being stuck in a borewell for over 55 hours in Dausa district in Rajasthan. The delay in attending such incidents has raised questions on whether the current safety arrangements and rescue procedures are doing justice to the cause.
The successful rescue of Sumit Meena in Guna has brought hope, but it is not going to bring much comfort at a time when the state has been witnessing a spate of unfortunate incidents involving children falling into borewells.
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