Indian rescue workers rescued a 10-year-old deaf-mute boy who had been stuck in a well for four days in central India on Tuesday evening, local authorities said.
• Read also: A deaf-mute child stuck in a well for four days in India
The child named Rahul Sahu fell into a very narrow well 24 meters deep on Friday while playing in the backyard of his house in the central state of Chhattisgarh.
The boy “has been rescued, safely, through everyone’s prayers and the tireless efforts of the rescue team,” the state’s chief minister, Bhupesh Baghel, said on Twitter.
Rahul Sahu “is alive but weakened” and has been “rushed to a hospital” in the nearby district, local government chief Jeetendra Shukla told reporters.
“A snake was spotted in the well, but the boy showed exemplary courage, remaining calm during the operation,” he added.
Earth-moving machinery and cranes helped dig a tunnel next to the well, with military assistance.
Bad weather, but also snakes and scorpions, very hard rocks have notably hampered drilling operations and delayed rescue efforts, according to local authorities.
During the operation, a camera was used to monitor the boy’s condition and movements, Janjgir district police chief Vijay Agrawal told AFP earlier today at the scene.
Wells in Indian farming villages are the scene of frequent fatal accidents involving young children.
In 2019, in the northern state of Punjab, a two-year-old child died in a well after four days of unsuccessful attempts to save him.
The same year, a one-and-a-half-year-old child was rescued in the neighboring state of Haryana after being trapped for two days.