3-year-old rescued from deep tubewell shaft in Raozan after nearly 3hrs, declared dead at hospital
According to the child's family and locals, the borehole was dug several years ago for a deep tubewell, located 30-40 feet from the family's home. However, the tubewell was never installed.
A three-year-old boy, who fell into a 30-feet-deep hole dug for a tubewell shaft in Kadalpur Union of Chattogram's Raozan Upazila, was declared dead at the hospital after being rescued in an unconscious state this evening (28 January), authorities said.
The child was identified as Mejbah Uddin, son of Saiful Islam from Dakkhin Joynagar Purbapara in Kadalpur Union.
According to reports, Mejbah fell into the abandoned shaft around 5:30pm while playing near his home. Upon receiving the news, the Fire Service and Civil Defence (FSCD) personnel conducted a rescue operation for nearly three hours, finally recovering him in an unconscious state at 8:10pm.
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Raozan Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Sajedul Islam said the child was immediately rushed to the Upazila Health Complex.
Upazila Health Complex Emergency Officer Md Habib said, "When the child was brought to the hospital, we examined him and found that he had passed away. Being trapped underground for a long time caused suffocation.
"The narrow opening of the deep shaft didn't have enough oxygen, and prolonged confinement led to respiratory distress."
Md Jasim Uddin, deputy director of FSCD in Chattogram, told UNB that five firefighting units were involved in the rescue. He added that the hole is about one foot wide and 30 feet deep.
According to the child's family and locals, the borehole was dug several years ago for a deep tubewell, located 30-40 feet from the family's home. However, the tubewell was never installed.
CO Sajedul said, "It is still unclear how the child fell into the borehole, and the exact depth is yet to be confirmed. The Fire Service's camera had shown the child 12 feet below."
Locals said the deep tubewell project had been initiated under a government scheme, but the tube well was never installed. They do not know why the project was left incomplete.
Several videos on social media showed locals attempting to rescue the child using bamboo sticks before the first responders arrived.
A similar incident occurred on 10 December last year, when a two-year-old child, Sajid, fell into an abandoned tubewell shaft in Tanore, Rajshahi. After 32 hours of frantic effort, he was rescued and rushed to the hospital -- where doctors declared the child dead.
