A teenager, who accidentally fell into a 80-foot-deep farm well at Panagudi in the district on Thursday, had a miraculous escape.
According to fire and rescue services personnel, M. Govindan, 14, of Aaraikkulam, who was studying in class 9 of a school at Vadakkankulam while staying in the hostel, went to a nearby farm well on Thursday morning to catch pigeons nesting in the holes in the walls of the well. As he could not reach them from atop the well, he went to a nearby hallow block manufacturing unit and borrowed a rope from workers there, saying his teacher was in need of it.
Even as he was tying the rope to a tree close to the well before lowering it into the well, Govindan accidentally fell inside. There was water for about six feet.
When the boy failed to return the rope as promised, one of the workers went to the school to get it back from the teacher. While crossing the well, he heard the boy screaming for help and saw the rope lying nearby. After he alerted his colleagues, fire and rescue services personnel at Valliyoor were informed. The boy, who sustained bruises, was lifted by the personnel and sent to hospital for treatment.
“Had he landed on the rocks submerged in the water, the boy might have suffered grievous injuries. Luckily, he landed on water and escaped with minor injuries,” said C. Pradeep Kumar, Station Officer, Valliyoor Fire Station, who led the rescue operation.