May 16 (IANS) A four-year-old child who had fallen into a borewell in Chak Samana village of Punjab's Hoshiarpur was safely rescued after an intense nine-hour operation carried out jointly by teams of the NDRF, SDRF, Punjab Police, district administration officials, and residents, officials said on Saturday.
The child, identified as Gurkaran Singh, son of labourers Harinder and Asha, had fallen into the borewell at around 4 P.M. on Friday. After hours of continuous rescue efforts, he was finally pulled out safely at around 12:40 A.M. and was immediately shifted to a hospital for medical examination and treatment.
Deputy Commissioner Ashika Jain and SSP Sandeep Kumar Malik personally supervised the rescue mission. They later commended all teams involved for their determination and coordinated efforts that led to the successful rescue of the child.
After the operation concluded successfully, Deputy Commissioner Ashika Jain said that Gurkaran was immediately taken to the hospital in an ambulance, accompanied by a medical team, for further evaluation after being rescued from the borewell.
She said the administration responded without delay after receiving information about the incident around 4 P.M. Officials rushed to the village to begin rescue operations.
According to officials, Gurkaran had fallen into an open borewell situated adjacent to his house. The borewell had reportedly been dug only a day earlier.
Rescue teams subsequently dug a parallel pit more than 30 feet deep alongside the borewell and created a narrow connecting passage to reach the trapped child. After strenuous efforts and careful excavation, the teams managed to pull the child out safely.
Officials said the child had been trapped at a depth of nearly 30 feet inside the borewell.
Heavy machinery and other specialised equipment were brought to the site to accelerate the rescue work. The district administration also inserted a camera and oxygen pipe into the borewell shaft, enabling rescuers to monitor the child's movement continuously through live visuals while ensuring oxygen supply during the operation.
The Deputy Commissioner further stated that more than 40 members of the National Disaster Response Force participated in the operation and utilised their technical expertise to carry out the rescue safely during the critical situation.
Punjab Minister for Jails, Ravjot Singh and Hoshiarpur Lok Sabha MP, Raj Kumar Chabbewal also remained present at the spot throughout the operation.
SSP Sandeep Kumar Malik also thanked the rescue teams for successfully bringing Gurkaran out alive.
Officials also noted that several social, religious and local organisations extended support during the rescue mission by assisting the teams in multiple ways and boosting their morale throughout the lengthy operation.
--IANS