Daijiworld Media Network - Faridabad
Faridabad, Sep 28: A three-year-old girl died after falling into a 250-foot-deep borewell while playing in Sihi village in Faridabad. She was pulled out after a nearly 10-hour-long rescue operation early Monday, but doctors declared her dead upon arrival at the hospital.
The girl, identified as Neha, fell into the borewell while playing with other children near it on Sunday evening. The incident occurred around 7 pm. She was rescued at around 3.50 am on Monday, but there was no movement in her body when she was pulled out. She was immediately taken to a private hospital, where doctors declared her dead.
A post-mortem examination of the girl's body will be conducted.
According to the information available, a tractor was parked near the borewell and the children had climbed onto it while playing. Neha allegedly slipped and fell into the borewell.
After receiving information about the incident, teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) launched a rescue operation. Darkness hampered the efforts, prompting rescuers to install lights around the borewell. A camera was also lowered into the borewell to monitor the situation. During the operation, rescuers reportedly heard the child crying.
NDRF Deputy Commandant Kunal Tiwari said the incident occurred around 6 pm on Sunday and that the control room received information at 7.45 pm. The NDRF team reached the site at 9.05 pm.
The rescue operation was carried out jointly by the NDRF, Haryana SDRF, state police, fire service, Uttar Pradesh Civil Defence, the medical department and the municipal corporation. The girl was rescued at 3.50 am and sent for medical treatment.
The borewell reportedly belongs to the Faridabad Municipal Corporation and had been defunct for around 15 years, according to Neha's father, Ramdin. He said the borewell was located on civic body land in Sihi village and that its cover had been removed or dislodged a few days before the incident.
When Neha fell into the borewell, other children nearby raised an alarm. Villagers and her family members then rushed to the spot.
Ramdin, who was at work when the incident occurred, said he learnt about it from villagers. Originally from Mainpuri in Uttar Pradesh, he has been living in Sihi village for several years and works as a labourer. He lives there with his wife and children.
The incident comes months after another borewell tragedy in Haryana. In July, a four-year-old boy, Nirvair Singh, fell into a 220-foot-deep open borewell in Ambala district.
Nirvair was pulled out at around 3.40 am after a gruelling 21-hour multi-agency rescue operation that began on Tuesday morning. He was immediately shifted by ambulance to the Civil Hospital in Ambala Cantonment. However, a doctor at the hospital said the child was brought dead when he was taken to the emergency ward.