Child Sajid rescued alive, undergoing treatment.

The two-year-old child who fell into a deep hole dug for a deep tube-well in Tanore, Rajshahi, has finally been rescued alive.

Didarul Alam, Assistant Director of the Fire Service’s Rajshahi Division, said, “The child was rescued around $9$ PM on Thursday night. He has been sent to the hospital. Details will be provided later.”

The two-year-old child, named Sajid, fell into the deep hole around $1$ PM on Wednesday (December $12$). The child was walking with his mother in a field of cut paddy when he suddenly fell into the hole. Sajid’s father is Rakibul Islam of Koelhat Purbapara village of the upazila. Rakib works as a manager in a jute mill in Dhaka.

Upon receiving the news that the child had fallen, three units of the Fire Service began a rescue operation in the afternoon. At the same time, oxygen was supplied to the hole through a pipe to keep him alive. Fire Service personnel continued their attempts to rescue the child by digging a deep tunnel.

Didarul Alam, Assistant Director of the Fire Service’s Rajshahi Division, said they received news that the child had fallen into the hole around $2:30$ PM on Wednesday. When they arrived, they saw that local people, in their attempt to help, had thrown some soil inside the hole. The child was responsive until $4$ PM. Later, due to the commotion of the people, no further response was received. Three units of the Fire Service continued the rescue work. Every effort was made to rescue the child.

The child’s mother, Runa Khatun, stated that she was walking towards the field next to their house around $1$ PM, holding the hand of her middle son, Sajid. She also had a younger child in her arms. While walking, Sajid suddenly cried out “Ma” (Mother). When she looked back, her son was gone, and he was calling “Ma, Ma” from inside the hole. Straw had been laid over the hole. Neither she nor her son realized there was a hole there. As soon as his foot touched the spot, the boy fell inside the hole. By the time she called people, the boy had already gone to the bottom of the hole.

Police and local sources revealed that the groundwater level in Koelhat village of Pochondor Union in Tanore Upazila has dropped significantly. There is currently a ban on installing deep tube-wells in this area. Despite this, the landowner, Kochir Uddin, a resident of Koelhat village, wanted to install a deep tube-well. He had dug a hole with a diameter of $8$ feet about a year ago. But as he did not find water, he did not install the tube-well. He had filled the hole, but the soil settled during the monsoon, creating a new depression, and the child fell into that hole.

Azhar / Sakalbela