Madhya Pradesh: 6-year-old falls into 400ft borewell in Betul

BHOPAL: A six-year-old child fell into a 400-ft-deep borewell in MP's Betul district on Tuesday evening, triggering a massive rescue operation. The child, Tanmay, is believed to be stuck at a depth of 80 feet and has fallen unconscious, say sources. Rescue teams are digging two parallel tunnels after hitting impenetrable rock at a depth of 25 feet in the first one.

Rescuers are pumping oxygen and warm air into the borewell to keep the child alive. Tanmay was playing when he fell into the borewell in his father's farm in Mandvi village of Aathner tehsil, around 200km south of Bhopal, at 5pm. Tanmay's father Sunil had dug the borewell only a week ago.

Tanmay’s father Sunil had dug the borewell only a week ago. As soon as the SOS went out, SP Betul Shimala Prasad rushed to the village with a rescue team. Using three JCBs and a poclain machine, they began digging a parallel tunnel around 30 feet from the borewell. “The child fell unconscious around 10pm, but oxygen and heaters have been supplied.
Work on the rescue tunnel is going on at full speed,” Aathner police station in charge Ajay Soni told TOI. SDRF teams from nearby districts have also been roped in. The first tunnel reached a depth of 25 feet but ran into a massive block of rock. Rescuers had to start on a second tunnel around 11pm.