Race Against Time To Save Trapped Boy In Raj Borewell On Day 3, Glitch In Piling Machine Halts Rescue For 4 Hrs

A parallel borewell was being dug to reach the boy, while oxygen was supplied to him through a pipe. Efforts were also underway to rescue him using a rope and other equipment.

The operation to rescue a five-year-old boy stuck at 150 feet depth in the Dausa district of Rajasthan, which entered day two on Tuesday, has been halted for the past four hours due to technical issues. A large number of people from nearby areas and distant locations have also gathered at the incident site.  

ASP Dinesh Kumar Agarwal issued an announcement urging people to stay away from the mounds of soil and the dug pits. It has been nearly 48 hours since the child fell into the borewell. Curious crowds have flocked to see the piling machine brought in to rescue the boy.

Later, District Collector, Devendra Kumar, told news agency ANI, "The machine had broken down, and our second machine had arrived. Our rescue operation is going on. The rescue operation will continue until the child is taken out."

In the early morning, rescuers told news agency PTI that they last observed movements through a camera around 2 am, approximately 13 hours after he fell into the borewell.

A parallel borewell was being dug to reach the boy, while oxygen was supplied to him through a pipe. Efforts were also underway to rescue him using a rope and other equipment. Several earthmovers and tractors were deployed for the digging operation, according to an official.

Nangal Circle Officer Charul Gupta said he was playing in an agriculture field at Kalikhad village when he slipped into the borewell on December 7 and was trapped at a depth of about 150 feet inside. The incident occurred around 3 pm, and rescue efforts commenced an hour later.

Challenges Ahead Of NDRF Team

As rescuers dig a parallel borewell to reach the trapped child, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel have highlighted several challenges: the water level in the area is estimated to be around 160 feet, steam underground is obstructing visibility on the camera, and safety concerns for the team remain significant.

"The challenge is that we can go up to 150 feet and not beyond that. NDRF rescuers will go down with protective equipment to rescue the child," PTI quoted NDRF commandant Yogesh Kumar as saying.

He explained that drilling machines have reached a depth of 110 feet so far, with plans to dig further to 150 feet. Once that depth is achieved, a horizontal casing will be created to access the child in the borewell.

To mitigate the risk posed by the water level, estimated to be at 160 feet, submersible pumps have been deployed in the area. Additionally, the commandant noted that underground steam is hampering visibility, making it difficult to capture clear images through a camera lowered into the borewell.