Tamil Nadu toddler Sujith trapped: Rescue team member comes out after examining borewell

Efforts to rescue a two-year-old boy Sujith trapped in a borewell near Tiruchirappalli has entered Day 4 with officials saying the child has fainted, but was breathing.

Rescue team is digging a one-meter wide tunnel parallel to the borewell where Sujith is trapped. The parallel hole dug by rescue team has dug around 63 feet till 9 pm. They have approximately 30 feet to go. Sujith is stuck at 88 feet. Efforts are being taken to ensure he doesn't slip further. Once the hole is fully dug, the rescue team is planning to reach Sujith via a horizontal passage.

Ajith Kumar, member of Rescue team who had gone down borewell has come back after examining the nature of soil and rock.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also prayed for the rescue of the two-year-old. PM Modi assured that every effort is being made for his recovery.

He tweeted, "My prayers are with the young and brave Sujith Wilson. Spoke to CM @EPSTamilNadu regarding the rescue efforts underway to save Sujith. Every effort is being made to ensure that he is safe. @CMOTamilNadu"

My prayers are with the young and brave Sujith Wilson. Spoke to CM @EPSTamilNadu regarding the rescue efforts underway to save Sujith. Every effort is being made to ensure that he is safe. @CMOTamilNadu Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 28, 2019

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami took to Twitter and said that he has briefed PM Modi on the ongoing rescue operation.

He tweeted, "Briefed Hon’ble Prime Minister @narendramodiji regarding the rescue efforts underway to save child Sujith Wilson who fell into a unused borewell in Nadukattupatti village. Three Ministers have been deputed along with Fire and Rescue services, NDRF and SDRF."

Briefed Hon’ble Prime Minister @narendramodi ji regarding the rescue efforts underway to save child Sujith Wilson who fell into a unused borewell in Nadukattupatti village. Three Ministers have been deputed along with Fire and Rescue services, NDRF and SDRF. Edappadi K Palaniswami (@EPSTamilNadu) October 28, 2019

He said, "Heavy duty drilling machines and equipments have been deployed and experts from NLC, ONGC, L&T and NIT Tiruchirapalli are at site to be of guidance. Further assistance would be sought depending on the status of the rescue efforts."

Heavy duty drilling machines and equipments have been deployed and experts from NLC, ONGC, L&T and NIT Tiruchirapalli are at site to be of guidance. Further assistance would be sought depending on the status of the rescue efforts. Edappadi K Palaniswami (@EPSTamilNadu) October 28, 2019

State Health and Family Welfare Minister C Vijayabaskar and Tourism Minister 'Vellamandi' N Nagarajan, who have been camping at the site since Friday night, said all efforts were on to rescue the child.

The boy had fallen into the borewell on Friday while playing near his house and rescue operations had started around 6 pm.

Meanwhile, talking to reporters, Principal Secretary, Revenue Administration, Disaster Management and Mitigation department, J Radhakrishnan said modern equipment were being used in the rescue efforts.

Two rigs had been bought in from Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) to drill the ground.

The first rig was dug upto 30.5 feet into the ground but later developed a technical snag.

The digging of the second rig began at 12:30 am. As of 6 am a total of 36 feet has been dug.

Sujith is stuck at a depth of 100 metres.

Here are the Live Updates:

4:42 pm: PM Modi prays for Sujith's rescue

He tweeted, "My prayers are with the young and brave Sujith Wilson. Spoke to CM @EPSTamilNadu regarding the rescue efforts underway to save Sujith. Every effort is being made to ensure that he is safe. @CMOTamilNadu

12:44 pm: Due to presence of hard rocks, digging is difficult, says Tamil Nadu Minister

Tamil Nadu Minister C Vijayabaskar said, "Due to presence of hard rocks in the area, digging is difficult. Rescue operation is in the final stage."

Tamil Nadu Minister C. Vijayabaskar on operation to rescue 2-year-old #sujithwilson : Due to presence of hard rocks in the area, digging is difficult. Rescue operation is in the final stage. https://t.co/S2WoaFWIDj pic.twitter.com/VQXeWHGHeH ANI (@ANI) October 28, 2019

12:15 pm: Rescuers will be sent through tunnel that will be created between the borewell and new hole to rescue the boy

The rocky terrain poses to be biggest challenge for the rescue team. The drilling is progressing at a slow pace because of the rocky terrain.

Efforts are underway to drill a hole parallel to the borewell where Sujith is stuck. Rescuers will be sent through the tunnel that will be created between the borewell and new hole to rescue the boy.

Light showers at the region have also inconvenienced the rescue efforts. As of 11:30 am, a 45-foot-hole has been dug.

12:10 pm: Pit has been dug up to 40 feet so far, says Revenue Department Commissioner

Tamil Nadu: According to Revenue Department Commissioner, a pit has been dug up to 40 feet so far, near the borewell in Nadukattupatti, where operation is underway to rescue 2-yr-old Sujith Wilson. pic.twitter.com/72XPW4uuKO ANI (@ANI) October 28, 2019

11:08 am: Rescue ops will continue until we recover the boy, says revenue secretary

In a press conference in Manaparai, state Revenue Secretary Radhakrishnan said that the rescue operations will continue till they retrieve the boy.

"The rescue operation will continue until we recover the boy. The work is underway despite rains. The kid is stuck at a depth of 88 feet. It'll take around 12 hours for the rigging machine to fully dig the parallel borewell. It is currently at 38 ft. We are using the same technique which have been used in the past. We are trying everything to recover the child," he said.

9:38 am: Operation to rescue toddler to reach final stage soon, says TN Deputy CM

Operation to rescue a two-year-old boy who fell into a borewell in Nadukattupatti of Tiruchirappalli district on October 25, will reach final stages within four to five hours, Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam said on Monday.

8:59 am: A rig named Akash is being brought to the location

A rig named Akash is being brought to the location. This rig is likely to help in the digging process.

8:32 am: "Boy has fainted, but is breathing; rescue efforts still on"

Officials saying the child has fainted, but was breathing. They said that a rig, which could drill up to 100 feet, has been pressed into service to make a hole parallel to the borewell about three meters away.

After completion of the drilling a tunnel like structure would be created for the use of fire service personnel to

reach the child with an oxygen cylinder, the officials said, adding that they were confident of rescuing the boy.