7-hour operation fails to bring man up from well

KOLKATA: A youth, who suffered from epilepsy, died after accidentally falling into a well in the courtyard of his house in Bansdroni’s Sonali Park neighbourhood on Friday afternoon. Even after a marathon seven-hour operation involving police, firemen and disaster management group personnel (DMG), the body could not be brought out of the water on Friday.
Around 10pm, fire brigade sources said they had stopped the rescue operation for the night and would begin again on Saturday morning.
Samarat Sarkar, 30, possibly suffered a seizure while bathing next to the well and tumbled 30ft in. It isn’t clear if he drowned immediately or went numb due to hypothermia, but, by the time rescuers arrived, there was no response from him.
Neighbours heard a splash around 2.30pm and alerted the family, said Sarkar’s mother, adding that locals then informed cops. “He was nowhere to be seen. Only his slippers were left next to the well,” recounted Sarkar’s brother.
Cops called in the fire brigade and DMG and an attempt was made to pump water out of the well. However, it continued to gush in, hampering the rescue efforts. The freezing water also made it difficult for divers to stay submerged for long. Though oxygen cylinders, flash lights, ladders and ropes were used, and they dived in rotations, all attempts to bring the body out were unsuccessful.
With rescue efforts being stopped for the night, locals and the victim’s family staged a protest on Friday.