Over 24 hours after Sujith Wilson fell into an abandoned borewell at Nadukattupatti near Manapparai district, efforts to rescue the two-year-old saw the National Disaster Response Force and the State Disaster Response Force joining the operations after repeated efforts by expert teams proved futile.
By Saturday evening, the authorities also sought the expertise of Neyveli Lignite Corporation, the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation and a private agency, all experienced in drilling operations. After a brief consultation, it was decided to launch a direct manual rescue attempt.
Authorities are now planning to dig a big borewell adjacent to the old one, to a depth of about 100 ft., using a rig and then drill a horizontal tunnel to link the two. A team of Fire and Rescue Services would then be sent through the tunnel to rescue the boy.
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On Friday evening, Fire and Rescue Services personnel and other workers had embarked on a similar plan but the work was suspended, apparently because they encountered rocky terrain.
Early on Saturday, Sujith, who had been lodged in the four-inch-wide borewell, stopped responding to calls from his uncle and parents, triggering anxiety and tension in the village. Health Minister C. Vijayabaskar, who was camping at the spot to monitor rescue efforts, said they could not hear the sound of the boy’s breath from 5.30 a.m.
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Rescue efforts suffered a setback late on Friday when the boy, who was trapped initially trapped at a depth of about 30 ft, slipped to a depth of 68 ft. The borewell had been dug seven years ago in a corn field and had apparently been closed with sand. The sand had washed away in the recent spell of rain, sucking the boy in when he stepped over the hole in front of his house.
Mr. Vijayabaskar said all available equipment and devices were being deployed to rescue the boy. Inputs and suggestions from various experts were taken into account and implemented. Yet the efforts had not succeed as they could not get a firm grip on the boy’s slender and wet hands. Besides, mud had fallen over the child, making the operation difficult.
More than 15 attempts were made by various teams from across the State, including Madurai, Namakkal and Coimbatore, through the night. "The problem occurred when the wet mud began falling into the borewell and on to Sujith. Over an inch of mud had fallen on him, hindering efforts to knot his hands several times," said K. Daniel, a plumber from Tiruchi who had led several such rescue efforts.
The 30-member NDRF team, which arrived here from Arakkonam, joined the 40-member SDRF team and took over the rescue mission around noon on Saturday. After a brief assessment of the situation, the teams got to work using a hydraulic arm. But this too did not prove successful till late in the night. A drilling rig was requisitioned from Pullambadi. "The situation continues to be critical but we have not lost hope," said Mr. Vijayabaskar.
Tourism Minister Vellamandi N. Natarajan, Minister for Backward Classes and Minorities Welfare S.Valarmathi, Collector S. Sivarasu and Superintendent of Police Ziaul Haque have been camping at the spot to coordinate the rescue operation. Tiruchi West DMK MLA K.N. Nehru and Congress MP from Karur S. Jothimani also visited the location.