Boy who fell into borewell dead

BHOPAL - A six-year-old boy who fell into a 400-foot deep borewell in Madhya Pradesh is dead. Rescuers have pulled out Suraj’s body, 56 hours after the accident, officials said Friday.

The boy fell into the open borewell while playing in a field in Malvasa village in Ratlam district, 350 km from here, Tuesday evening. His father, Virendra Rathore, had removed the casing of the borewell Monday.

Suraj stopped responding to calls from the rescue team after 9.30 p.m. Wednesday.

“Every effort was made to keep the boy alive. Oxygen was pumped into the borewell, hoping to increase the chances of his survival,” an official said.

“The land around the borewell was dug up several times in a bid to reach the boy but each time the earth around the pit caved in. So, we decided to seek the army’s help,” said District Collector Mahendra Gyani.

But the soldiers were hampered by frequent mudslides. As soon as Suraj’s body was brought out, doctors at the site declared him dead.