Baby girl rescued from 10ft deep pit in Banda

Kanpur: A 15-month-old girl was rescued unscathed from a 10-foot-deep pit in which she had fallen while playing in Pachkhor village of Attarra town in Banda district on Tuesday.
Pushpa, daughter of Bhawanideen Prajapati, fell in the pit being drilled for a concrete pillar close to the agricultural fields where her parents were working. After she fell, her parents tried to pull her out but failed. They alerted the locals and the police were informed.

Thereafter, senior district and police officials, including SP Ganesh Saha, SDM Saurabh Shukla, CO Kuldeep Gupta and SHO Attarra Baljeet Singh, rushed to the spot and launched a rescue operation.

“The child had fallen in the 10-ft-deep pit close to the agricultural fields. We cordoned off the entire area to prevent a crowd that had gathered at the spot from reaching close to the pit as it could have caused mudslide, endangering the girl’s life,” said a senior official.

“The rescue team was unable to reach the child as the pit was very narrow. Though we dangled a rope for her to grab, we could not succeed due to her tender age. Also, no food or water could be provided as the child lay motionless on the bottom of the pit,” he added.

“Later, with the help of two earth-movers, we dug further and broadened a passage close to the pit. We managed to reach the child after a nearly three-hour-long exercise. Once the child was in clear sight, the machine was withdrawn and the rescuers used their bare hands to dig the soil,” he added.

The parents and other family members of the child were present by the side of the pit where they kept talking to her to know her reaction and console her so that she didn’t panic.

“It’s God’s grace that except for a few bruises, the child did not suffer any injury. After the rescue, we rushed her to the local community health centre for medical examination. She was handed over to her parents after the doctors declared her fit,” SP Ganesh Saha added.