The rescue operation to secure a 3-year-old toddler, who fell into a 700-feet-borewell, has entered its eighth day in Rajasthan, an official said on Monday. After facing unexpected rain delays and difficulty in digging due to rocky terrain, officials are racing against time to rescue Chetna.
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), along with other disaster management personnel, are inside the tunnel. However, even after digging a five-foot tunnel, the rescue team was not able to reach the borewell. The tunnel is being dug under the instruction of Army jawans, who are constantly monitoring the situation on the ground along with the NDRF personnel.
The girl is stuck at a depth of 150 feet and a 170-foot tunnel parallel to the borewell has been dug 10 feet away. The construction of an eight-foot L-shaped pipe to reach Chetna is also taking a lot of time, according to sources.
NDRF officer Mahaveer Singh, told reporters that he was unable to give the exact update on the conditions prevailing underneath the tunnel until the rescuers came out. Singh assured everyone that the team is quite close to securing the child to safety, adding that experts have been called upon to ensure the digging is being done in the right direction.
The NDRF officer further revealed that the digging faced some problems due to the presence of solid rock.
On Sunday, the District Collector, Kalpana Agarwal said that the difficult terrain of the region has led to some unexpected delays in the rescue operation. She further stated that they are getting the help of the best equipment to combat the challenges, including rocky soil and the huge gap in temperatures between the top and bottom of the tunnel.
On Friday, the digging was halted due to heavy rains.
The health of Chetna’s mother, Dhole Devi, has worsened since the accident. An emotionally distraught Dhole Devi has urged the administration to bring her daughter out at the earliest, claiming negligence.
Chetna’s family has been blaming the local officials for prolonging the rescue operation.
On December 23, Chetna fell into a borewell while she was playing on her father’s agricultural land.
Inputs from ANI and Himanshu Sharma
