A four-year-old boy in Punjab’s Hoshiarpur district was safely pulled out of a borewell after a nine-hour rescue operation, officials said. He had fallen into the borewell while playing near his home. Several rescue agencies and locals took part in the operation. The incident took place on Friday night at Chak Samana village, near Bhikhowal along the Hoshiarpur-Dasuya road.
Officials said the boy, Gurkaran Singh, was stuck inside the borewell at a depth of nearly 20 to 30 feet. He was rescued around 12:40 am and immediately taken to a hospital for check-up and treatment.
An NDRF personnel carried the child out after the rescue. His face was covered with soil, but he looked stable. Family members and villagers hugged the NDRF personnel and rescuers and expressed gratitude for their efforts.
Deputy Commandant NDRF Pankaj Sharma said the child’s condition was stable. He said the rescue operation was difficult because loose soil kept collapsing. He added that the rescuers worked with full dedication throughout the operation.
Officials said the rescue was a joint effort involving teams from the NDRF, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Punjab Police, district administration, fire brigade, and local volunteers.
Punjab Minister Ravjot Singh and AAP MP Raj Kumar Chabbewal stayed at the site during the entire rescue operation and kept a close watch on the efforts. Deputy Commissioner Aashika Jain said the administration acted quickly after getting information about the incident around 4 pm. She added that the child had fallen into an open borewell located next to his family’s house.
Officials said the borewell had recently been made functional, and work to fill it with gravel and soil around it was still pending. Jain said rescue teams initially lowered a camera and an oxygen pipe into the borewell to monitor the child’s condition and ensure oxygen supply. She added that the child’s movements were initially visible on the footage, which helped rescuers assess the situation.
Officials said loose soil later entered the borewell, which made camera monitoring difficult and added to the challenge of the rescue.
The Deputy Commissioner said rescuers dug a parallel pit about 25 to 30 feet deep and then made a narrow tunnel to reach the child safely. Officials said earth-moving machines and other heavy equipment were arranged by the administration and villagers. They added that the sandy soil kept collapsing repeatedly, making the operation difficult. Machines were used carefully to avoid any soil falling on the child.
Jain said over 40 NDRF personnel took part in the rescue operation. She thanked all agencies, including the NDRF, SDRF, Punjab Police, district administration, medical teams, volunteers and locals for their joint efforts in rescuing the child safely.
Senior Superintendent of Police Sandeep Kumar Malik praised the rescue teams and said their dedication and teamwork were crucial in saving the child’s life. Earlier during the operation, the administration also called the child’s mother to the site and asked her to speak to him so he could hear a familiar voice and stay calm. Oxygen was continuously supplied to the child through a pipe inside the borewell.
Minister Ravjot Singh said medical and emergency teams remained on standby throughout the operation to provide immediate treatment after the rescue.
MP Raj Kumar Chabbewal described the operation as highly sensitive and challenging, and said continuous efforts by all agencies led to its success. Large numbers of locals gathered at the site as rescue operations continued through the night.
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