Rescue services in India have worked tirelessly to save a toddler who was trapped underground for five days after falling into a well.
Three-year-old Chetna fell 50 meters into a 220-metre well in the Indian village of Kotputli in Rajasthan on Monday.
The young girl, who has spent more than 90 hours without food or water, is said to be very weak and unable to move.
Meanwhile, rescuers are racing against time to get Chetna out of the well, while monitoring her via a video camera and supplying her with oxygen through a pipe.
According to local press, manual excavations have been carried out over the past three days in an attempt to free the young girl.
Rescuers have tried several techniques to reach the girl, but so far none have proven effective.
District Collector Kalpana Aggarwal said rescue teams dug holes and then dug horizontally from below to reach the trapped girl.
A pile driver arrived on site on Wednesday to dig the tunnel, and today a 100-ton crane was deployed to speed up the process.
Three-year-old Chetna fell 50 meters into a 220-metre well in the Indian village of Kotputli in Rajasthan on Monday. Rescuers race against time to save her
Rescue teams have been on site since Monday. They deployed an excavator yesterday to dig a tunnel through which they can reach Chetna
According to local media, rescue efforts have been affected by the rainfall
Disturbing images show an excavator excavating a tunnel in the well as emergency workers wait patiently alongside.
Another clip shows villagers nervously surrounding the site as they wait for news of Chetna’s rescue.
But persistent rains have hampered rescue operations, India’s Free Press Journal reports, as rescue teams were unable to descend into the pit to reach Chetna.
Waterproof tents are being set up so that the well is safely covered, while a first aid team is stationed next to the borehole to provide medical assistance if necessary.
A plan is already in place to shift Chetna to the nearby Kotputli Hospital once she is rescued.
Meanwhile, the young girl’s family is said to be eagerly awaiting news of her rescue, but her ailing mother’s health has reportedly deteriorated due to the ongoing situation.
Disturbing footage shows an excavator excavating a tunnel in the well as emergency workers wait patiently alongside
It comes after a man plunged 50 feet into a well in Georgia, US, while looking for his mobile phone.
The unnamed man was trapped for eight hours as rescuers fought to save him.
The father disappeared after venturing into the woods of Cobb County to try to retrieve his lost phone.
A major rescue mission was launched with several teams arriving on the scene.
Rescuers followed the sound of the trapped man’s cries and found him inside the building.
Dramatic video showed the man being lifted from the pit using ropes and a bipod. Miraculously, he was alive and conscious during the rescue effort.
He was then transferred to a stretcher and rushed to the hospital. He is expected to recover.