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A two-year-old boy who was pulled from a deep pit after a 32-hour rescue operation in Rajshahi’s Tanore upazila has died, officials said.
Fire Service Director (Operation and Maintenance) Lieutenant Colonel Mohammad Tajul Islam said doctors at the Tanore Upazila Health Complex declared the child dead after he was brought in.
Fire service officials identified the victim as Sajid, the son of Md Rakibul Islam from Koyelhat Purba Para village in Tanore upazila.
They said Sajid had fallen into a deep pit dug for extracting groundwater and was rescued at around 21:00 local time on Thursday before being taken straight to the upazila health complex.
Earlier, speaking to journalists after the rescue, Mr Chowdhury said Sajid was found unconscious.
“We rescued the child at 9pm in an unconscious state. He has been sent to the upazila health complex. The doctors will inform you about his physical condition,” he said.
According to eyewitnesses and fire service sources, a Fire Service ambulance was kept on standby at the scene from the start of the rescue operation.
However, they said no medical team was present at the site during the operation, and the child was taken by ambulance to the upazila health complex as soon as he was brought out.
Local residents and police said the accident happened at around 13:00 on Wednesday in Koyelhat Purba Para village.
They said Sajid had gone to the field with his mother when he fell into the deep pit.
Residents of Koyelhat village said the groundwater level in the area has dropped significantly in recent years.
They said there is currently a ban on installing deep tube-wells in that locality.
Despite this restriction, villagers said one resident had earlier dug the pit on his land to check whether water could be found at that depth.
They said the pit was later filled in, but during the monsoon the soil subsided and a new hole opened up at the same spot, and Sajid fell into this hole while in the field with his mother.
Fire service officials said the rescue operation was launched at around 14:30 on Wednesday.
They said eight units of the Fire Service joined the effort one after another as the operation expanded.
According to the Fire Service, crews began digging beside the main pit with an excavator on Thursday evening to reach the trapped child.
Officials said Sajid was recovered after excavators dug down to a depth of about 45 feet.
Relatives and neighbours said Sajid’s mother, Runa Khatun, was taken home from beside the pit on Wednesday night while the rescue operation continued.
When reporters visited the family home on Thursday, they found Runa sitting with her mother, Shefali Begum.
Family members said Shefali Begum appealed to people across the country to pray for Sajid’s survival while the rescue was under way.
Speaking in tears, Sajid’s mother, Runa Khatun, blamed a villager named Kachir Uddin for leaving the pits open.
“Kachir Uddin from our village dug pits in three places to install deep tube-wells. He left these pits like this, without closing them, for two years. I want Kachir to be punished, I want justice,” she said.
Runa said that after the incident, “Kachir came once to see us but did not come again.”
She alleged that he had since fled the area.
Tanore Police Station’s officer-in-charge (OC), Md Shahinuzzaman, confirmed that police had not yet located the man named in the complaint.
“We have not met Kachir. We have not found him,” the OC said.
Asked whether he would be arrested, OC Shahinuzzaman said the matter was under active inquiry.
“The investigation is ongoing. We are looking into it,” he said.