Child trapped in TN borewell dead

Tiruchirappalli (TN), Oct 29

Rescuers pulled out the decomposed and mangled body of a two-year-old boy early on Tuesday from deep inside an unused borewell, after a futile 80-hour attempt to save the child who had fallen in while playing near his house in a Tamil Nadu village.

After a post-mortem at a government hospital, the body of Sujith Wilson was handed over to his parents who buried him in a heart-wrenching funeral conducted by the local parish priest at a nearby graveyard.

Sujith had fallen into the disused farm borewell while playing near his house in Nadukattupatti on Friday evening, and various central and state agencies were called in to rescue him.

Initially, he was stuck at a depth of about 30 feet but subsequently slipped further down, and the body was finally pulled out from a depth of 88 feet, officials said.

Commissioner of Revenue Administration J Radhakrishnan declared that Wilson was dead, the rescue operation turned into an effort to retrieve the body.

The tragedy had drawn national attention with PM Narendra Modi also tweeting words of sympathy and encouragement. As the boy’s body arrived, people lined up to pay their last respects.

Chief Minister K Palaniswami visited the bereaved family at Nadukattupatti village and announced a solatium of Rs 20 lakh for the family. — PTI