Chennai / Trichy: Efforts of more than 16 hours to rescue Sujith Wilson, who is trapped in a borewell near Trichy, did not bear any positive result till noon. The three-year-old boy who was in 30 feet earlier, slipped to about 70 feet during the rescue operation.
With mud getting deposited in the hole, the rescue operations were hindered. Efforts were on to remove the mud and resume the process amid drizzle. The boy fell into the borewell near his house at Nadukattupatti near Manapparai last evening. He is said to be the youngest son of Britto Arogyaraj and Kalamary, who are parents to two boys.
Health Minister C Vijayabaskar who is overseeing the rescue operation said all the government departments are providing their maximum support.
”Through cameras, we are continuously monitoring the situation. Rescue operations are being conducted even without one minute delay. We faced setback when mud starting falling down because of the wet state of the mud. Already various methods have been tried to rescue the child. We tried using rope to pull the boy out. We also used the suction method that is generally used to pull the new born baby out of the womb. But all of them have failed so far,” he said.
He also said that the child has been stuck in the well which has only a 4-inch diameter and the boy is in a position we have been finding difficult to pull him out.
Several teams are already working to save the child and are formulating various plans.
A team of NDRF from Arakkonam was on its way to reach the spot to help the rescue operations. A medical team has been kept ready to treat the child after the rescue.
Sources said Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami is continuously monitoring the situation, while Ministers Vellamandi Natarajan and Valarmathi are at the spot along with Vijayabaskar.
DMK president M K Stalin said, ”It is heartbreaking. Just like how Sujith’s family, we too are in a state of fear and pray that Sujith be retrieved soon. I urge the government officials to act quickly and save Sujith using all their efforts. These kind of tragedies which are becoming a series should have a permanent end.”
The incident has shook the entire state as everyone has been praying for the safe rescue of the boy, ever since he fell in the hole. Several hashtags such as #PrayForSujith and #SaveSujith have been trending in socialmedia.
Collectors’ order
Following the incident, Vellore and Theni district Collectors have instructed the officials to identify unused borewells and close them immediately.
Mom stitches bag
As part of the rescue operation, the officials had requested Sujith’s mother Kalamary, who knows tailoring, to stitch a cloth bag which would help in bringing the boy up after expanding it in the borewell. And she did it by controlling tears.