Indian Toddler Dies During 110 Hour Rescue Operation

Punjab: A 2-year-old boy, Fatehveer Singh, who fell into a 150 feet deep well in the village of Bhagwanpura, died during the 110-hour operation to rescue him. The boy had been playing outside his house when he fell into the seven-inch-wide borehole. He was stuck 125 feet deep inside the well which had been covered by a piece of cloth. 

In order to reach him, authorities had tried to dig a parallel hole but this turned out to be unsuccessful. He was finally pulled to the surface by a rope on Tuesday. The boy who was then rushed to a hospital in Chandigarh was confirmed dead on arrival. While the authorities had been able to supply oxygen to the boy, they could not provide food or water. His body had begun to decompose by the time the rescuers reached him. 

The boy’s family accused the government of “negligent behaviour.” A relative said: “They did not use proper technique to rescue him early on. Trial-and-error methods were adopted for days. Where were the modern methods and technology?” Protests have broken out in the village following the death of the young boy. Amarinder Singh, the chief minister of Punjab said that he was very sad to hear about the tragic death and reported: “I pray that Waheguru grants his family the strength to bear this huge loss. Have sought reports from all [district councils] regarding any open bore well so that such terrible accidents can be prevented in the future.” The opposition MP Sukhbir Singh Badal tweeted: “This is a daylight murder of the most inhuman and beastly kind. The government remained absent as the child lay dying. Unforgivable.”