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INDIA-CHILDREN-ACCIDENT
Indian rescuers struggle to save toddler stuck in 26-metre well
NEW DELHI, Oct 28, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Scores of workers were racing against
time Monday to try to rescue a two-year-old boy trapped for more than 72
hours down a 26-metre (85-feet) well in south India, officials said.
The boy fell into the 30-centimetre (one-foot) diameter pipe on Friday
afternoon while playing near his home in Tiruchirappalli district of Tamil
Nadu state.
A thermal camera was briefly used to monitor the child’s body temperature
while oxygen was supplied through a pipe.
The toddler, Sujith Wilson, was unconscious but breathing until Sunday
morning, but rescuers have been unable to check his condition since then.
Authorities said the child was initially wedged at around nine metres (30
feet) before slipping to the bottom in an upright standing position.
“It’s a race against time,” said Jawaharlal Nehru, a senior district
officer at the site.
Workers used an oil drill to dig a hole parallel to the well on Sunday, but
the rig broke down at around ten metres (33 feet) because of the rocky
ground.
Attempts to use robotic devices to lower ropes to latch onto the boy’s
wrist failed on Saturday.
The incident is the latest in series of mishaps that have seen children
accidentally fall into disused and uncovered wells in rural India.
In 2006 the rescue of a six-year-old child made headlines when he was
recovered safely in Haryana state after being stuck in an 18-metre (60-foot)
well for 48 hours.
BSS/AFP/SSS/1452 hrs