Sambalpur: An infant was found stuck in an abandoned bore-well in Odisha’s Sambalpur district Tuesday, prompting the state government to launch a rescue operation, officials said.
The bore well at Laripali village in Rengali area is 15-20 feet deep and oxygen is being supplied into it. The baby, apparently newly born, has no claimant, police said.
The state’s Special Relief Commissioner sent fire services personnel from Rengali and one team of Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force Jharsuguda to the spot to conduct the rescue operation.
An NDRF team from Mundali in Cuttack is also on its way to the bore-well site, said Gyanranjan Dash, the managing director of Odisha Disaster Management Authority.
Local people came to know about the presence of the child inside the bore well after hearing cries, police said.
The abandoned bore-well is located in a forest close to the village.
The police said it was not known how the infant got into the well.
Locals suspect that the infant might have been dumped there by someone.
Sambalpur Additional District Magistrate Pradeep Sahoo said, “Rescue operation has started and oxygen is supplied into the bore well. The ODRAF team has dug a parallel pit.”
He expressed hope that the child would be rescued soon.
PTI