An 18-year-old girl, who fell into a 540-foot-deep borewell, was declared dead after being rescued following a 33-hour-long operation. The girl, identified as a resident of Kanderai village in Bhuj taluka, fell into the borewell early on Monday at around 6:30 AM. Despite an intensive multi-agency rescue operation, she could not survive.
The Rescue Operation
The girl got stuck at a depth of 490 feet inside the narrow, one-foot-wide borewell. The complexity of the situation was compounded by her being an adult, making the rescue efforts particularly challenging.
Multiple agencies were mobilized to assist in the operation, including the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Border Security Force (BSF), local fire department personnel, police, and emergency response teams. Teams of drillers labored tirelessly to pull her out with a “hook technique” devised by a team of drillers. It consisted of letting L and J-shaped hooks lower into the borewell, positioning them on either side of the girl, and then tugging her up from the bottom. A makeshift device was improvised from the local drillers to perform the operation.
The Tragic End
The girl was finally brought out of the borewell around 4 PM on Tuesday after hard work for over 33 hours. All said and done, the teenager could not be resuscitated despite all attempts at it. She was rushed to GK General Hospital in Bhuj, where she was declared dead by the attending doctors.
Bhuj’s assistant collector and SDM, AB Jadav, confirmed the tragic news. “Unfortunately, the girl could not survive,” Jadav stated.
Rescue Difficulties
The narrow diameter of the borewell and the girl’s location deep inside the borewell posed a significant challenge to the rescue team. Though several agencies came together, operations were prolonged due to the difficulties of working in such a small space.
This is a grim reminder of the dangers that uncovered and poorly maintained borewells pose, especially in rural areas. It also underscores the need for better safety measures and awareness about such risks.