Indian toddler stuck in well found dead during rescue attempt

Indian toddler stuck in well found dead during rescue attempt

A man places flowers on the coffin of a toddler who died after getting stuck in a borewell, in Trichy, India October 29, 2019, in this still image taken from video. INA/via Reuters TV.

MUMBAI (Reuters) - A two-year-old boy who fell into a well while playing outside his house in southern India died during an 80-hour-long rescue operation, state authorities said on Tuesday.

Sujith Wilson fell into the deep open well on Oct. 25.

Well falls are not uncommon in rural India where holes are often dug illegally and left open. In recent years, cases of children falling into such wells have been recorded across the country, many of which led to arduous yet usually successful retrievals by paramilitary and rescue forces.

Last week, state authorities dug a hole parallel to that in which Wilson had fallen in a bid to reach him. Rescuers pumped in oxygen only to find the child’s decomposing body.

The death provoked anger in Wilson’s village of Nadukattupatti in Tamil Nadu state, where villagers monitored the rescue attempt and later attended the boy’s funeral.

The boy’s family accused the local government of “negligent behavior” but officials said rescue teams made all possible effort to pull the child out.