RAJASTHAN: Five-year-old Aryan, who fell into a 150-foot-deep borewell in Kalikhad village, Dausa district, Rajasthan, on December 9, succumbed despite a 56-hour-long rescue operation.
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), and local authorities worked tirelessly to save him, but he could not survive, the medical officials announced late on Wednesday night.
Aryan fell into the borewell around 3 p.m. on Saturday, just 100 feet from his house and in front of his mother. Rescue teams arrived swiftly and initiated efforts to save him. However, after being pulled out late Wednesday night, Aryan was rushed to the hospital, where doctors declared him dead.
Chief Medical Officer Deepak Sharma briefed media persons about Aryan's condition. "He was immediately shifted to the hospital in the hope of saving him, but he could not survive, " Sharma said.
Sharma noted that Aryan likely sustained injuries upon falling. "It seems he hit a hard object, which may have caused fatal injuries. Additionally, the prolonged lack of food and water and the environmental conditions inside the borewell may have contributed, " he added.
The exact timing of Aryan's death will be confirmed after the post-mortem report.
Rescue teams faced numerous challenges during the operation. Movement of the child ceased around 2 a.m. Monday, despite continuous oxygen supply. Collector Devendra Kumar informed that an umbrella was deployed beneath Aryan to prevent him from falling further.
Initially, a pit was dug 20 feet away from the borewell using a piling machine, but the machine broke down, delaying efforts for 3-4 hours. Makeshift tools, including an L-shaped hook and other "desi jugaad" methods, were also used but failed.
Eventually, the team resumed digging a pit near the borewell with another machine and managed to retrieve Aryan after a 56-hour operation.
Aryan's tragic death has cast a shadow over the community. His fall and the prolonged rescue attempts gripped the nation's attention, raising concerns about the safety of open borewells.