ATHANI:The rescue operations that were launched to rescue Kaveri from an abandoned borewell in Athani taluk were hit by constant delays due to the boulders around the borewell.
The operations were halted for more than six times on the third day after the diggers could not go deeper due to hard rocks.
The power drilling machines from Hatti Gold Fields, which were being used, continued to drill through the rocks in an attempt to reach Kaveri.
The rescue teams slowed down drilling after Kaveri slipped further 2 feet below from where she was trapped since Saturday.
When she had fallen, she was stuck at 6 feet and later she slipped to 25 feet. On Monday morning, the drilling of 22 borewells of 30 feet was completed. The rescue teams dug a tunnel through these borewells to reach the place where Kaveri was. But as Kaveri slipped — possibly due to heavy drilling around the borewell — the diggers had to go deeper to prevent the girl from falling further. Digging for additional 3 feet took more than five hours.
“As the team inched closer to the place where Kaveri was trapped, the drilling was slowed down to prevent further fall of Kaveri. The last 2 feet were crucial, but once again the team intercepted a hard rock which cannot be cut without using heavy machinery.
‘‘If you drill hard, you may cause harm to the girl. Our priority was to remove the girl unhurt, hopefully alive,” a rescue team member said.
The police on Monday had a tough time dispersing the crowd. A large number of villagers started gathering since morning to get a glimpse of the rescue operations.
Kaveri’s father, Ajit Madar, was seen sitting next to site.