Chhattisgarh boy trapped in 80 feet borewell rescued after 104 hours
The Hindu
10-year-old disabled child from Janjgir-Champa district, Rahul Sahu fell into an 80 feet borewell on June 10, and was rescued late on Tuesday night
RAIPUR
Following a rescue operation that lasted for over 104 hours and involved at least 500 people, Rahul Sahu, a ten-year-old disabled child from Janjgir-Champa district who fell into an 80-feet borewell on June 10, was rescued late Tuesday night.
It was around 11.59 p.m. that Rahul was brought out of the tunnel on a stretcher by members of the rescue team and left for Bilaspur’s Apollo Hospital in an ambulance for which a green corridor was created.
“It’s a collective victory for all of us... Rahul is currently stable and we are providing him with the best treatment possible,” Janjgir-Champa Collector Jitendra Shukla said after the rescue. Mr. Shukla also hailed Rahul for his fighting spirit in adverse conditions. He revealed that there was a snake and a frog next to the boy, a fact concealed by the administration to prevent a panic.
Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel – who was closely monitoring the situation over the last four days –tweeted that good wishes and tireless and committed efforts by the rescue team had led to the success of the operation. He wished for Rahul’s speedy recovery.
Doctors said they would closely monitor the situation as the boy, despite showing resilience as the operation continued, had weakened considerably due to limited intake of food and fluids and prolonged exposure to water and mud inside the borewell could have caused some skin problems too.
Teams from the Army, the National Disaster Response Force, the State Disaster Response Force, and local administration were involved in the operation that involved digging a deep pit parallel to the one in which Rahul was trapped and connecting the two through a tunnel.