A three-year-old girl who fell into a 250-foot-deep abandoned borewell in Faridabad’s Sihi, was found to have died after she was pulled out after a nearly 10-hour operation, police and rescue officials said on Monday.
Police said the autopsy report will establish whether the child died from drowning or suffocation.
She was found to be stuck upside down at a depth of 170 feet. Her body was shifted to Badshah Khan Civil Hospital by 10.30am and handed over to the family following an autopsy. ACP Khundia said she slipped and fell into the 12-inch-wide borewell. Sanjeev Kumar, executive engineer, MCF, told HT the borewell was at least 15 years old and had once supplied water to an overhead water supply tank in the area.
A rescue operation was launched immediately after police officials were informed. After the other children she was playing with raised the alarm, parents and other residents gathered at the spot and informed police. “The tank was demolished several years back, and the borewell was sealed accordingly for safety reasons.
Assistant commissioner of police (Ballabgarh) Ravi Khundia told HT that the family had not pressed any charges against anyone in the incident. “On the statement of the victim’s father, a formal inquiry under section 194 Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita is being carried out,” he said. “Police teams, the fire department and officials of the Municipal Corporation of Faridabad (MCF) and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) reached the spot and immediately started rescue work,” he said. However, it was yet unclear when and who removed the seal,” he said.
The incident took place around 6pm on Sunday as the minor was playing with other children from her neighbourhood.
