19-Hour Fight Against Time Ends In Heartbreak As Ambala's 4-Year-Old Dies After Borewell Rescue

New Delhi: A four-year-old boy, identified as Nirbhay, died after being rescued from a 200-foot-deep borewell in Haryana's Ambala district following a gruelling 19-hour rescue operation involving the Indian Army, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), and district authorities.

The child was declared "brought dead" after being rushed to City Hospital shortly after his rescue in the early hours of Wednesday.

Nirbhay had fallen into an open borewell in Dhanaura village around 6 am on Tuesday while playing near agricultural fields. According to officials, he became trapped at a depth of nearly 60 feet inside the narrow shaft.

A massive rescue operation was launched after local residents alerted authorities. The Indian Army, NDRF, SDRF, police, fire department, health officials and district administration reached the spot, with NDRF teams beginning rescue operations around 10.30 am.

Rescuers initially attempted to pull the child out using ropes and specialised equipment but were forced to adopt alternate methods after repeated setbacks. Teams excavated a parallel pit using heavy machinery and manually dug a horizontal tunnel to reach the trapped child.

The operation was complicated by continuous rain, loose soil and water seeping into the borewell. Officials said the borewell had filled with water, causing the child to slowly sink while the water level continued to rise, making rescue efforts increasingly difficult.

NDRF Assistant Commandant Anil Kumar said the rescue teams had to repeatedly modify and relaunch the operation due to the challenging conditions.

"The incident occurred at 6 am. We reached at 10.30 am and started the operations. The child was stuck in the borewell, which was filled with water. The child was slowly sinking and the water was gradually rising. There were numerous challenges due to which we had to relaunch the operation again and again, and it went on for 18-19 hours," he said.

Speaking about the child's condition before the rescue was completed, Kumar added that the teams had not observed any signs of life, though he said only the administration could officially confirm the child's condition.

After nearly 19 hours of continuous efforts, rescue personnel finally managed to pull Nirbhay out of the borewell. He was immediately shifted in a waiting Health Department ambulance to City Hospital.

However, doctors declared the child "brought dead."

"We started the examination of the child as soon as he was rescued. When we conducted an ECG at the hospital, he was declared brought dead," said Dr. Rishipal, Medical Officer at the City Hospital.

He added that the child's body has been sent to the mortuary and the exact cause of death will be determined after the post-mortem examination.

Following the rescue operation, authorities permanently sealed the hazardous borewell to prevent similar incidents.

The tragedy has revived memories of the widely reported 2006 rescue of five-year-old Prince, who had survived after falling into a borewell in Kurukshetra, Haryana, following a dramatic rescue operation led by the Army. Nirbhay's death has once again highlighted concerns over unattended and uncovered borewells in rural areas despite existing safety guidelines.

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