Rajasthan: Tragic end to 39-hour rescue effort as 9-year-old who fell into borewell dies

Jodhpur: In a heartbreaking end to one of the longest rescue operations in the region, nine-year-old Bhomaram, who fell into a borewell at Punia Ki Dhani in Rajasthan's Phalodi district on Thursday afternoon, was brought out early on Saturday after nearly 39 hours of relentless efforts.

However, the child could not be saved and was declared dead by doctors at Lohawat Hospital, where he was taken immediately after the rescue.

The tragedy unfolded on Thursday afternoon when Bhomaram fell into a 1,050-foot-deep borewell at around 12.30 pm in the Nausar gram panchayat area under Lohawat. He remained trapped at approximately 640 feet, prompting an emergency response from the district administration, police and specialised rescue teams.

As news of the incident spread, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams launched a rescue operation, racing against time to bring the child to safety.

However, the operation soon hit a major hurdle when a large rock was found lodged inside the borewell, around 30 feet above the boy.

The obstruction severely complicated the rescue efforts. It restricted the movement of pipes and equipment required to reach the child and also made it difficult to lower a camera to monitor his condition. Efforts to ensure an oxygen supply to the trapped boy were also hampered by the difficult conditions inside the narrow borewell, said Phalodi Superintendent of Police Aditya Kakade.

He said that concern mounted further on Friday morning when the camera, which had earlier captured the child's movement, no longer showed any motion, but despite the uncertainty surrounding his condition, rescue personnel continued their efforts to reach him.

After repeated attempts failed to overcome the obstruction, the authorities turned to Madaram Suthar and his team from Jalore district, known for their indigenous rescue techniques. The team devised a specialised arrangement using iron rods to extract the rock blocking access to the child.

The breakthrough came after nearly 34 hours of work, when the obstruction was finally removed. This cleared the way for the rescuers to intensify efforts to retrieve Bhomaram. The final extraction operation was subsequently undertaken, and the child was brought out at around 3.35 am on Saturday.

An ambulance was immediately pressed into service to transport him to Lohawat Hospital. However, doctors declared him dead on arrival, turning the prolonged rescue effort into a devastating loss for his family.

The operation had continued through difficult conditions, with multiple agencies working in coordination and exploring every possible method to save the child. While the rescuers ultimately succeeded in bringing Bhomaram out of the borewell, the outcome left his family inconsolable and the local community mourning the loss of a young life.