Rajasthan boy, 9, falls into borewell during repair, rescue ops on for over 18 hours

A nine-year-old boy fell into a 1,050-foot-deep borewell during repair work at a farm in Rajasthan's Phalodi district on Thursday, prompting authorities to launch a rescue operation. The child is believed to be trapped at a depth of around 640 feet.

The rescue operation was underway at the time of filing this report, with further details about the child's condition awaited.

The incident occurred around 1.30 pm in Rajasthan's Pooniyon Ki Dhani area, where repair work was being carried out on a faulty borewell at the farm of the boy's father, Pancharam Bhil.

The borewell had developed a fault, following which a machine was brought to the farm to carry out repairs. Workers were in the process of pulling out the pipes when the boy accidentally slipped into the open borewell.

His father, who was removing the motor from the borewell, witnessed the incident. He said that when he turned around, he could see only the boy's head and hands above the opening.

However, by the time he rushed to the spot to pull his son out, the child had slipped further down into the borewell, making it difficult to reach him.

Police and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) personnel rushed to the spot soon after the incident and launched a rescue operation to bring the child out safely.

Rescuers lowered a camera into the borewell to determine his position and assess his condition, while arrangements were made to supply oxygen to him as efforts to reach the trapped boy continued.

The borewell's depth and narrow opening have posed significant challenges for the rescue teams. With limited visibility inside the shaft, officials are using camera footage to track the child's position and monitor his movements as efforts to rescue him continue.

PHALODI COLLECTOR, SP REACH RESCUE SITE

Phalodi District Collector Ankit Kumar Singh and Superintendent of Police Aditya Kakade visited the site to take stock of the ongoing rescue operation. They also met former MLA Kishanaram and reviewed the efforts to bring the trapped child out safely.

Chief Medical and Health Officer (CMHO) Dr Pratap Singh said oxygen was being supplied to the child. He added that slight moisture and water inside the borewell could help prevent dehydration.

An NDRF team from Ajmer arrived at the site at 9 pm on Thursday to assist with the operation. More than 18 hours after the incident, rescue efforts were continuing, with villagers anxiously awaiting updates on the child's condition. Further details about his condition are awaited.