TIRUCHY: There is some progress in the efforts to bring out Sujith Wilson, the two-year-old boy who fell into an abandoned borewell in a village in Tamil Nadu's Tiruchirappalli district. On the fourth day, the depth of the parallel hole finally got past the 50-feet mark.
With the hard nature of the soil making the rescue operation difficult, officials earlier on Monday had deployed a boring machine to drill five small holes. This after the L&T-owned heavy-duty rig they had employed the previous day to speed up the rescue failed to make headway after digging up to 42 feet.
Officials hoped that the newly drilled holes will provide them access till 65 feet. They also think it will loosen the soil and thereby help speed up the rescue.
A similar plan had reportedly been hatched on Sunday. But it was given up owing to fears that the boring machine would cause vibrations. Earthmoving equipment was then pressed into service to dig a pit near the borewell to reach the boy. But this was stopped midway as the terrain was rocky. Besides, it was felt that this process could cause vibrations that may loosen the soil inside the borewell thereby leading to the boy slipping further down.
Later, the rescue team used a special 'borewell robot'. But that too did not help.
Several teams with their own technologies have tried to rescue the boy, but all of them have failed so far.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Chief Minister Edapaddi Palaniswami. He tweeted after the call that "my prayers are with the young and brave Sujith Wilson" and that "every effort is being made to ensure that he is safe".
J Radhakrishnan, Principal Secretary, Revenue Administration, Disaster Management and Mitigation department, said that "support is being provided to the boy's parents. They should not start feeling guilty for the boy's present condition."
A huge crowd has assembled to witness the rescue operation. There is great demand for the share autos running between Manapparai town and Nadukkattupati village because of the heavy rush of visitors to the village.
Rescue officials through the local church fathers have informed the parents about the difficulties they are facing.
Video report from Ground Zero: