A two-year-old boy who fell into a borewell in Tiruchirappalli district in Tamil Nadu died on Tuesday, October 29, after being stuck for 80 hours.

A rescue operation for Sujith Wilson was called off after his decomposed body was found inside the borewell. On Tuesday, a stench smell reeked from the borewell confirmed the boy’s death. The boy died in the tunnel after being without food and water for four days. The boy’s dismembered body was recovered and has been sent for the postmortem.

J Radhakrishnan, Principal Secretary in the Transport Department and the Relief Commissioner told reporters that the boy’s body is now in a decomposed state. “We tried our best to rescue him, but unfortunately foul smell has started coming from the borewell”, he added.

How Did He Fall?

The toddler was playing on Friday evening near the abandoned borewell when he fell into the borewell. The rescue operation started soon after the incident was reported. However, the process was slow due to rocky terrain and complex procedures. The rescuers also had to maintain the flow of oxygen inside the borewell for the boy to breathe.

The authorities had earlier said that the boy was stuck somewhere around 26 feet. However, the attempt to pull the boy with the rope further caused his fall to a depth of 88 feet. Many people have blamed this “trial and error” attempt by the state government for the death of the boy. Some people also said that the National Disaster Rescue Force was roped in nine hours after the rescue operation had already started. The borewell is said to be anywhere between 600 to at least 1,000 feet down according to officials.

IT Dept Asks Solution

Santosh Babu, secretary, IT department and CMD at Tamil Nadu Handicrafts Development Corporation regretted the boy’s death and made a proposal to have a Hackathon or a solution to rescue someone from a borewell. He said the IT Department will reward Rs 5 lakh for anyone who brings a working prototype for rescuing children from borewells and tunnels.

Twitter In Grief

Many celebrities and politicians prayed for the safe rescue of the boy. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had earlier said, “every effort” was being made to ensure the child was safe. On the eve of Diwali, former Congress President – Rahul Gandhi took to Twitter to express his grief over the incident and prayed for his rescue at the earliest. Actors turned-politicians like Kamal Hassan and Rajnikanth also expressed concern for Sujith’s safety.

After the news of Wilson’s passing away broke, hashtags such as #SujithWilson #RIPSujith, #SorrySujith flooded on Twitter. Union health minister – DR Harsh Vardhan expressed his condolence.

My heart goes out to the family of #SujithWilson who had fought with death for over 70 hours. No words would be enough to express my sadness, I grieve with the family. May he rest in peace. #RIPSujith @EPSTamilNadu @CMOTamilNadu

— Dr Harsh Vardhan (@drharshvardhan) October 29, 2019

Rahul Gandhi shared his condolences with the family.

I’m sorry to hear about the passing of baby Sujith. My condolences to his grieving parents and his family.

#RIPSujith

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) October 29, 2019

#RIPSujith pic.twitter.com/CZUCA0lqPW

— Sᴜʙᴀɪʀ (@319Subair) October 29, 2019

Also Read: Punjab: 2-Yr-Old Boy Who Fell Into A Borewell Dies After Being Rescued