Boy, 9, Dies After 39-Hour Rescue From Rajasthan Borewell

A nine-year-old boy who fell into a borewell at his father's farm in Rajasthan's Phalodi district has died, despite a rescue that ran for about 39 hours. The boy, Bhomaram, was brought out on Saturday morning and taken to hospital, where doctors declared him dead on arrival, the ANI news agency reported. First India News, a Rajasthan television channel reporting from the site, also reported that he was pulled out after 39 hours and did not survive.

The fall

Bhomaram fell into the borewell on Thursday afternoon, October 15, at Pooniyon Ki Dhani in the Lohawat area, PTI reported. His father Pacharam was repairing the farm borewell after its pump failed. Workers were pulling pipes out of the shaft when the boy, who was playing nearby, slipped in. His father saw only his head and hands at first, and by the time he reached the opening the boy had slid further down.

The borewell is about 1,050 feet deep. Rescuers put the boy's position at more than 600 feet below the surface. Police said the first report reached them at about 1 p.m., and district officials and rescue teams moved to the farm soon after.

A rescue blocked by rock

A camera lowered into the shaft picked up movement early in the operation, which raised hopes that the boy was alive. Teams from the State Disaster Response Force in Jodhpur and the National Disaster Response Force, which travelled from Ajmer, worked with Civil Defence staff and the district administration. The district collector and the superintendent of police stayed at the site.

By Friday the rescue had passed 22 hours without a breakthrough, IANS reported. A large rock sat about 15 to 20 feet above the boy and blocked the teams working to reach him. The rock also made it hard to check his condition with the camera, and moisture and water inside the shaft added to the problem. The operation paused briefly and resumed on Friday morning. Officials also brought in Madaram, a local man known for improvised borewell rescues, to help.

Late in the operation, the camera told a grimmer story. Praveen Kumar, an NDRF assistant commandant, told ANI that on the last camera check the boy looked unconscious, with no visible movement, and that only a medical officer could confirm his condition.

Brought out after 39 hours

Crews worked through Friday night and brought Bhomaram out on Saturday, about 39 hours after he fell in. He was rushed to hospital and declared dead on arrival. First India News reported that his body was taken to Lohawat hospital.

Open borewells on farm land are a known danger in rural India, and this case has already brought fresh calls for the rules on covering and checking them to be enforced. For the family in Pooniyon Ki Dhani, that argument comes too late. Their son went in while his father worked a few steps away, and two days of digging, cameras and oxygen lines were not enough to bring him back alive.