4-Year-Old Falls Into 90-Foot-Deep Well, Rescued After 16 Hours Of Operation

Rescue workers on Thursday were able to save the life of a 4-year-old boy who fell into a nearly 90-foot-deep well in India.

The incident took place in a village in the western state of Rajasthan. According to the police, the child, Anil Dewasi, is alive and safe despite being stuck in the dark well for almost 16 hours. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams, and some locals worked together to save the child, news agency ANI reported.

"The child, Anil has been rescued with joint efforts of all. He is safe and admitted to the hospital where he is under doctors' observation. Three NDRF teams from Gandhi Nagar, Vadodara and Ajmer were involved in the operation along with one SDRF team," Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Bhupendra Kumar Yadav told ANI.

Station House Office of Sanchore, Praveen Acharya, told the local media the rescue operation was delayed as those at the scene did not have the required expertise for such an operation. Later, special teams were called to rescue the child. A camera was lowered into the deep well to locate the boy.

"The teams are constantly communicating with the boy so that he does not fall asleep," Acharya said, adding those at work pumped oxygen into the well using a pipe so that the child did not suffocate. Some food was dropped inside for the child, India TV News reported.

Acharya said the well was newly dug, just two days before the incident took place. The well had a cover, but the boy removed it while playing. The child was curious and tried to take a peek when he slipped and fell inside. These wells are used to extract ground water for irrigation purposes.

A worker who was near the area noticed the boy falling inside and called for help, India TV News reported.

Last year, in a similar incident in the state of Madhya Pradesh, a 3-year-old boy was rescued after falling into a 200-feet deep well. The well was dug up in the field by the boy's parents just five days before the incident. The boy fell into the well while playing in the field.