Child still trapped in abandoned tube well shaft, rescuers begin tunneling effort

A two-year-old boy, Sajid, who fell into an abandoned deep tube-well shaft in Rajshahi’s Tanore, has yet to be rescued despite an overnight operation by the Fire Service and Civil Defence.

After digging nearly 30 feet down beside the well, rescuers began tunneling toward the child at dawn on Thursday (December 11) in an effort to reach him.

Sajid fell into the narrow shaft around 12:30pm on Wednesday (December 10), prompting an immediate response from fire service units from Tanore, Chapainawabganj, and Rajshahi Sadar.

The operation, which initially began with a single excavator, was expanded with two additional excavators as the hours passed.

By Thursday morning, the child had still not been located. Large crowds from surrounding villages gathered at the scene, creating challenges for law enforcement officers tasked with maintaining order around the rescue zone.

Multiple attempts were made from Wednesday afternoon through late night to detect the child using a camera lowered into the shaft, but loose soil and straw obstructed visibility. Rescuers reported hearing the boy’s cries shortly after he fell, but no further sound was detected later on.

Didarul Islam, Assistant Director of the Rajshahi Fire Service, said the effort remains ongoing. “We have completed the digging around the shaft and are now working to create a tunnel to reach the child,” he said.