Man trapped under soil in well in Kerala 2 days ago, dead; body extricated

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: More than 48 hours after a man was accidentally buried alive under the soil inside a well near Vizhinjam here, his lifeless body was brought out on Monday after the strenuous and continuous efforts by Fire force personnel, police and volunteers.

Visuals on TV channels showed the body being brought out of the well close to 10 AM and then being covered in sheets by the rescue personnel.

Information regarding the incident was received around 9.30 am on Saturday and from then Vizhinjam police, Fire services personnel and local volunteers had worked to extricate the 55-year old Maharajan from the almost 100-feet-deep well.

Half of the victim's body was cleared from the soil by early morning, a Fire force official said.

The official said the water at the bottom of the well and continuous falling of soil from above were the major hurdles in the operation which had commenced as a rescue effort on Saturday morning.

As all efforts to dredge out the water using machines were not successful and as soil kept falling from upper portions of the well, a group having expertise in working in wells of 100 feet or more depth came from Kollam district on Sunday night.

They put up wooden boards and iron rings to prevent soil from falling on top of them as they worked and managed to clear sediments from half of the victim's body, the official said.

A National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team had also reached the spot at around midnight, but it could not do anything, the official added.

Maharajan had been residing in the district for several years.

He was buried under the soil while he was fixing rings inside the well at Mukkola near Vizhinjam, police said.