SAMBALPUR: After a marathon operation lasting eight hours on Tuesday, a newborn baby girl stuck inside a 20-foot-deep abandoned bore-well at Laripali village in Rengali block was rescued. While it is yet to be ascertained how the two-day-old baby fell into the bore-well, locals suspect the infant was thrown into the pit by a miscreant.
It was a simple 100-watt light bulb that provided much-needed heat to a newborn girl who was found stuck inside a cold bore well in Odisha.
The incident came to light at around 1 pm after villagers heard cries of the baby from inside the pit. On being informed, fire services personnel rushed to the spot and launched a rescue operation at around 2 pm. Oxygen was supplied into the pit for the baby and the area near the bore-well was dug with the help of excavators. Later, the rescue personnel resorted to manual digging to reach the trapped baby.
"The baby is doing fine. There are a few minor bruises on her body. She was suffering from hypothermia (a condition that occurs when the body loses heat fast, causing a dangerously low body temperature)," said Dr Subham Singha, a pediatrician attached to the hospital.
Official sources said the rescue teams had to meticulously cut the metal casing around the bore well to ensure the safety of the infant. She was finally rescued at around 9.45 pm after digging 16 feet deep into the ground. Rengali BDO K Dalpati said the baby was rescued in a stable condition and rushed to the local hospital for treatment. “The doctors will examine if the baby sustained injuries and she will be kept under observation.”
The rescue team comprised fire services personnel from Rengali, a team of ODRAF from OSAP 2nd Battalion and another squad of NDRF from Mundali. This apart, a victim location camera along with a technician was flown in from Bhubaneswar and sent inside the pit to monitor the baby. Locals suspect that the baby was deliberately thrown into the pit. Besides, the child has no claimant. Resident Suprabha Makar said, “Police should trace the person and take stringent action.”
Naveen expresses relief after rescue
Expressing happiness over the safe rescue, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said, “It’s a matter of great relief. I wish a long life for the baby. May God bless her.” The CM also congratulated the rescue teams. “I am happy that the entire state machinery is working with the guiding principle of Every Life is Precious.”
(With inputs from PTI)