K’taka toddler in borewell: Rescue ops on as workers see him alive on camera

VIJAYAPURA: The operation to rescue a two-year-old boy, who fell into a borewell while playing in Karnataka’s Vijayapura district, reached the final stage on Thursday, said officials here.

The authorities, family and people heaved a sigh of relief on hearing the toddler’s cries on the camera after over 15-hour rescue operation. The team has dug a parallel pit to the borewell.

The staff confirmed that they had reached the level where the baby was stuck and needed to drill a hole horizontally to reach the toddler. The camera has also recorded the movements of the toddler’s legs.

An ambulance is stationed at the spot to carry the child to the hospital and his mother was also waiting inside the ambulance. The rescue operation was delayed as a boulder surfaced while digging a parallel hole to the borewell, said authorities.

Sources said they were confident of rescuing the toddler. The oxygen supply has been through since Wednesday evening when the rescue operation was launched.

The two-year-old boy in Karnataka’s Vijayapura district fell into a newly drilled open bore well while playing in a field on Wednesday evening.

The child was identified as Satwik Mujagonda, the son of Shankarappa Mujagonda and Pooja Mujagonda and a resident of Lachchana village in Indi taluk of Vijayapura.

According to the police, the borewell was drilled on Tuesday in the agricultural land of his parents to provide water for sugarcane and lemon crops but its opening remained unclosed.

While playing and wandering on the land, the toddler fell into the borewell around 6 p.m.

The borewell was drilled to a depth of 400 feet and authorities suspect that the boy is stuck 15 to 20 feet down it.

A large number of people gathered at the spot upon hearing the news.