Punjab CM orders closure of all open borewells after 2-year-old’s death

Chandigarh, June 11: Expressing grief over the demise of a two-year-old child, who was stuck in a 150-feet borewell in Punjab's Sangrur for about 109 hours, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Tuesday ordered closing of all open borewell.

A two-year-old child, who had fallen into a 150-foot-deep unused borewell in Punjab's Sangrur, has been declared dead. He was pulled out of the borewell on Tuesday morning after a rescue operation of over 110 hours. Fatehvir Singh was rushed to PGI Chandigarh where doctors declared him dead.

"Expressing anguish over the tragic death of 2-year-old Fatehveer, who failed to survive his 108-hour ordeal in a borewell in Bhagwanpura village of Sangrur, CM Captain Amarinder Singh ordered closure of all open borewells across the state," a statement by Punjab Chief minister's office said.

Fatehveer Singh, 2, fell into an unused borewell in Bhagwanpura village of Sangrur district on Thursday evening at around 4 pm when he was playing near his house. The seven-inch-wide borewell was covered with a cloth and the child accidentally stepped on it.

The child was rescued around 5.30am by National Disaster Response Force personnel, officials said.

A team of doctors had been stationed at the site of the accident to provide medical assistance to Fatehvir. An ambulance equipped with a ventilator had also been stationed there. A massive rescue operation was launched to bring the child safely out of the borewell. Officials managed to supply oxygen but no food or water could be provided to him. A parallel borewell of 36 inches in diameter was dug to rescue the child.