Rescue efforts to save the life of a 15-month-old child were successful after nearly 21 hours of continuous drilling and monitoring, in Lachyan village in Vijayapura district on Thursday, April 4. The child had fallen to a depth of 16 feet.
Satwik Mujagonda had fallen into an empty borewell near his house on April 3 evening and rescue efforts had begun soon after.
Vijayapura Deputy Commissioner T. Bhoobalan said the child was out of danger. He thanked the rescue teams and the Mujagonda family for their cooperation.
Rescue personnel digging a 20-feet-deep trench running parallel to the pipe of the borewell into which a 2-year-old toddler fell at Vijayapura on April 3, 2024. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
“The teams had lowered oxygen pipe and an endoscopy camera into the pipeline. A trench was dug next to the borewell pipe and the child was slid into it through another horizontal trench connecting the two. It was difficult as we encountered a rock. But we succeeded ultimately,” said the DC.
Teams of State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), fire and emergency services, police, zilla panchayat and revenue were involved in the efforts.
Mr. Bhoobalan, Superintendent of Police Rishikesh Sonawane and others officers were at the spot to oversee the rescue operation and keep the huge crowd, that had gathered, in control.
The borewell was commissioned by Shankarappa, Satwik’s grandfather. It did not yield water and had been abandoned.
A file photo of Satwik Mujagonda who fell into a borewell in Lachyan village in Vijayapura district of Karnataka on April 3, 2024. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Long hours of drilling
Earlier in the day, rescue personnel dug a 20-feet-deep trench, beside the borewell pipe. A trench was also dug sideways to intercept the pipe. Rescuers spread a sheet and lowered it into the side trench with ropes. The space around the pipe was widened, and efforts were taken to slide the child on to the sheet, officers had said.
As the rescue team reached within one metre of the child, whose cries could be heard at the top. A rope was tied to his leg to ensure that the child could be lowered onto the sheet slowly.
