KEY POINTS

  • The boy had fallen nine and half feet into the 44-foot deep well
  • The rescuers tied a rope around the boy’s hand to keep him from falling further deep
  • He was flown into nearby hospital and was recovering

A 4-year-old boy in Texas was rescued by first responders six hours after he fell into a 44-foot deep well.

The boy, whose name was not released, was walking with his family Tuesday on a ranch property in Garceño when he fell down the well, 7 News reported. The opening of the well was around eight-ten inches wide, which was too small for anyone to climb down and rescue the child.

Starr County emergency officials responded to the scene after receiving a report about the incident. The officials found the opening of the well was dark, and they could not even see the boy, reported news outlet CBS DFW.

The boy got stuck at nine and a half feet of the 44-foot deep well.

“There was only one way to extract this child and not back the way they came — we had to dig a hole adjacent to the original hole,” Edinburg Fire Chief Shawn Snider said.

The rescue operators tied a rope around the boy’s hands to keep him falling further down the hole. Firefighters and deputies then used shovels, air operated hammers and vacuums to suck in the dirt and dump it away from the holes.

Mission Fire Department Assistant Chief, Robert Alvarez, said breaking through the ground was a tough challenge.

"The soil got to the point where it turned into almost like a shale rock, so shovels weren’t being effective anymore and we had to turn to the pneumatic tools," he said.

Along with the digging, the rescue operators also had to ensure they remove the soil dug from the hole.

“Any vibration, any wrong strike of a shovel could cause more soil to fall into the hole where the victim was,” Alvarez said as he explained the challenge the team had to undergo.

The rescue operators finally reached the boy and pulled him out after securing him with straps.

The combined effort of first responders from the cities of Edinburg, Mission, McAllen and La Rosita helped the rescue operation, reported NBC news. “So proud of our Mission firefighters and all first responders that helped to rescue the child from the hole after six long hours,” tweeted Mission city.

The boy was flown to a nearby hospital and was recovering. The well was closed and covered with dirt.

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The boy was rescued from the narrow well in a six hour operation. pixabay
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