Rajasthan: Efforts still underway to rescue 3-year-old child trapped in borewell

KOTPUTLI-BEHROR: The rescue operations are underway in Rajasthan’s Kiratpura village in Kotputli-Behror district to get a 3-year-old toddler Chetna to safety after the child fell into a borewell over a week ago, an official said on Monday.

Mahaveer Singh, Sub-Inspector in the National Disaster Response Force, said that the NDRF and other disaster management personnel were inside the tunnel that had been dug to save the child and were reaching closer to their target. The jawans are in contact with the officials and the digging is being carried out as per their instructions, he added.

#WATCH | Kotputli, Rajasthan | Operation continues to rescue the three-and-a-half-year-old girl who fell into a borewell in Kiratpura village on December 23. pic.twitter.com/PgcUvW7O9V

— ANI (@ANI) December 30, 2024

“We will not be able to tell the exact conditions. The rescuers are climbing back up (from the tunnel). Once they are out, we will inform you how much we have dug. We are reaching close to our target each second. The jawans are in contact with the concerned officials. The digging is underway as per their instructions. We have invited experts so that we keep digging in the right direction. For this, we also have equipment, which is being used to guide us. Our jawans are adamant, standing strong in this situation,” Singh told reporters.

Special types of instruments have been ordered due to the hard nature of stones in the area. The mining (rescue) team was also invited to help out in the rescue operations. The authorities are hopeful of completing the work by Monday, NDRF officials said.

“Due to the solid rock, we are facing difficulties. It is hard to cut through the rock, but the rescue work is underwaay. We hope to rescue the girl soon. Approximately half of the work is done, and we will try to complete it by tomorrow,” Meena told reporters on Sunday.

Kotputli-Behror District Collector Kalpana Agarwal explained on Sunday that the construction of a tunnel to reach the girl has faced increased challenges due to the rocky terrain of the tunnel route. Additionally, the significant temperature difference between the top and bottom of the tunnel is posing difficulties.

“We are building the tunnel…the challenge has increased because the tunnel route is rocky…there is a huge difference in temperature at the top and bottom…all options are being considered and discussed…the best equipment has been made available,” Agarwal said.

According to the officials, the operation reached a crucial point on Thursday night (December 26), with the B-plan being implemented, and a casing pipe being lowered into the hole next to the borewell.

Authorities including teams of the National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), and local administration are leading the rescue operation.NDRF personnel earlier said that they were making every effort to rescue the girl despite challenging conditions.The girl fell into the borewell while playing in an agricultural field owned by her father on December 23 in Kiratpura village. (ANI)