Chhattisgarh Boy Who Fell Into Borewell Rescued After 104 Hours

Rahul Sahu, 11, fell into an unused, 80-foot-deep borewell at around 2 pm on Friday while playing.

Rahul Sahu, an 11-year-old boy who had fallen into a borewell in Chhattisgarh’s Janjgir Champa district, was rescued after a 104-hour-long operation on Tuesday night, 14 June.

(Photo: Accessed by The Quint)

Video Inputs: Vishnukant Tiwari

English Script: Mamta

Video Editors: Purnendu Pritam, Mohd Irshad Alam

Rahul Sahu, an 11-year-old boy who had fallen into a borewell in Chhattisgarh's Janjgir Champa district, was rescued after a 104-hour-long operation on Tuesday night, 14 June.

Rahul fell into an unused, 80-foot-deep borewell, located in the backyard of his house at Pihrid village in the Malkharoda development block, at around 2 pm on Friday, while playing.

The rescue operation that went on for over 4 days was conducted with the help of 500 personnel – from the police, district administration, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF), and the army. Rahul was rushed to the Apollo Hospital, Bilaspur, immediately after the rescue.

Celebrating the rescue, Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel tweeted, "Our child is very brave. He was accompanied by a snake and a frog in the pit for 104 hours. Today, the whole of Chhattisgarh is celebrating the festival, we all wish he returns fully recovered from the hospital soon. Congratulations and thanks again to all the team involved in this operation."

The Rescue Ops

Rahul Sahu was stuck at a depth of around 60 feet.

On the first day of the rescue, the night of 10 June, an attempt was made to pull Rahul up using a rope attached to a manual crane. After Rahul did not respond by grabbing the rope, the authorities took the consent of his family and decided to dig to the edge of the borewell.

Excavation was initiated with different machines. The district administration team, along with the NDRF and the army, drilled a tunnel to reach the borewell. The expedition was hampered by several strong rock formations during the tunneling, as per the district authorities. A drilling machine of greater capacity was brought in from Bilaspur.

Some water inside the borewell was also drained out by the NDRF using a vessel tied to a rope. Moreover, Rahul helped the authorities in the draining process.

Rahul was rescued with a lot of effort and by taking precautionary measures, the district authorities said.

Further, vigilance was maintained in the child's activities by installing a camera, while oxygen was supplied to him using a pipeline. His family was also present at the site to boost his morale. He was also given juice, bananas, and other food items.