A 16-year-old girl died after falling into a 20-foot-deep abandoned borewell at her home in Purwamir village in Uttar Pradesh’s Kanpur district while trying to tie a rakhi to her brother on Friday morning.
The girl, Chutki Sharma, was standing in the courtyard when the soil covering the abandoned borewell gave way at around 6.40 a.m. She fell into the borewell while reaching out to tie the rakhi.
Her brother raised an alarm, following which neighbours rushed to the spot and alerted the authorities. Police, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and Fire Department teams joined the rescue operation.
Around 60 rescuers were involved in the operation. A parallel pit was dug near the borewell to reach the girl. The rescue work was carried out cautiously as the surrounding soil was unstable and there was a risk of further collapse.
After several hours of efforts, rescuers pulled the girl out and rushed her to Sarsaul Primary Health Centre, where doctors declared her brought dead.
According to the family, the borewell had been dug in the courtyard around three years ago but was abandoned after the work remained incomplete. A second borewell was later dug elsewhere. The family suspects that the abandoned borewell weakened the soil, which collapsed following recent rainfall.
