Colonel Tajul Islam Chowdhury said, “Despite digging up to 45 feet, the existence of the child was not found. The diameter of the hole through which the child fell is very narrow. Apart from this, it is not possible to remove the soil directly from the hole. Therefore, efforts are being made to rescue the child by digging a parallel hole.”
Explaining the reason for the slowness of the rescue work, this official of the Fire Service also said, “Now we are trying to identify the child by digging a hole every 10 feet. To dig deeper, the soil is being removed with an excavator to protect the balance of the soil, ensuring it does not collapse from above. For the sake of safety, the work is a little slow considering these technical aspects.”
This tragic accident occurred in Koel Hat village of Panchandar Union in the upazila on Wednesday afternoon.
Baby Sajid was crossing a field next to the house with his mother and brother. The land was covered with straw. Sajid’s mother did not know that there was an unprotected deep tubewell hole under the straw. While walking Sajid suddenly fell into the pit. After hearing “ma ma” shout from behind, Ma looks back and Sajid is gone. When the straw is removed, the death well comes out.
Locals said that last year a local person tried to install a deep tubewell here. But as there is no water even below 120 feet, the pipe is left open in an abandoned condition. Last year’s rains made the mouth of the crater even bigger. Locals alleged that the accident happened due to no precautionary measures or cover.
Thousands of eager people gathered at the scene. Sajid’s mother spends a sleepless night next to the pit. Incessant crying and prayers are going on in the hope of getting the child back. After the accident, a little sound of the child was found, but with the increase of time, no more sound was coming from inside has alarmed the rescue workers. However, the Fire Service has continued to supply oxygen inside the hole. The medical team and local administration are present at the spot.
