Toddler dies after 10-hour borewell rescue in Faridabad; abandoned shaft under scanner

A two-and-a-half-year-old girl who fell into a nearly 200-foot-deep abandoned borewell in Faridabad has died after a rescue operation lasting about 10 hours, police said on Monday.

The girl, identified as Neha, was playing with other children near the borewell in Seehi village on Sunday evening when she slipped and fell in. A tractor was parked near the shaft, and police said the children had climbed onto it before Neha slipped and fell into the hole.

She was pulled out at about 4am on Monday and rushed to a private hospital, where doctors declared her dead. A senior police officer said the body had been kept in a mortuary and a post-mortem examination would be conducted to establish the exact cause of death.

The National Disaster Response Force said it received information about the incident at about 8pm on Sunday and reached the spot by about 9:05pm. Rescuers from the NDRF, the state disaster response force, Haryana police, the fire service, the municipal corporation and the health department worked through the night. Rescuers could initially hear the child crying inside the shaft, but the sound stopped after some time. Officials said the equipment brought to the site proved ineffective, and a tool had to be fabricated on the spot with the help of a local car mechanic. The abandoned borewell had water at a depth of 125 feet, which significantly hampered the rescue.

Residents blamed the civic authorities, saying the borewell had not been sealed securely. Sanjeev Kumar, executive engineer of the Faridabad Municipal Corporation, said the borewell had been sealed with a lid about 15 years ago and that the corporation had received no information about the lid being removed. “The matter would be investigated and action would be taken in accordance with the rules against those found to be negligent,” he added.

Sources

• NDTV (PTI feed): https://www.ndtv.com/cities/faridabad-girl-2-who-fell-into-220-feet-deep-borewell-brought-out-dead-12107330
• ThePrint (PTI): https://theprint.in/india/girl-pulled-out-of-borewell-after-10-hours-declared-dead/3055234/
• The Tribune: https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/faridabad/3-year-old-girl-trapped-in-faridabad-borewell-dies-after-10-hour-rescue-operation/
• The Statesman: https://www.thestatesman.com/india/faridabad-borewell-tragedy-2-year-old-neha-dies-after-10-hour-rescue-uncovered-civic-shaft-under-scanner-1503643883.html
• Hindustan Times: https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/faridabad-girl-trapped-in-borewell-rescued-after-10-hr-long-operation-by-ndrf-101790562423156.html