The two-year-old boy, Sujith Wilson, who was stuck in an abandoned borewell near Tiruchirapalli in Tamil Nadu since Friday, is dead, an official told PTI on Tuesday.
Commissioner of Revenue Administration J Radhakrishnan said the body of the child was “dismembered” and in a “highly decomposed” state.
Sujith’s body was retrieved by the National Disaster Response Force early Tuesday morning and taken to the hospital, Indian Express reported. He will be buried in Fathima Pudur cemetery.
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Radhakrishnan said those posted near the borewell noticed foul smell around 10.30 pm on Monday following which medical personnel and teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) assessed the situation.
Sujith Wilson had fallen into the disused farm borewell while playing near his house in Nadukattupatti on Friday evening, and various central and state agencies were called in to rescue him.
Prayers were held by various sections of society for the child’s early rescue, while leaders such as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi wished the wellbeing of the child.
Earlier on Monday, a heavy German-made drilling machine was deployed to dig a parallel shaft to reach the boy stuck at a depth of 88 feet, but rescue efforts were hampered by rocky soil and rain.
Two Fire and Rescue Services personnel were lowered into the freshly drilled shaft, using a ladder and with all necessary support like oxygen, for initial assessment of the condition inside.
Condolences pour in
Prayer meetings had been held across Tamil Nadu for the safe rescue of the child and in several towns people had taken out silent marches, PTI reported.
The rescue efforts had kept the state glued to TV screens, with tens of thousands of people, including celebrities, tweeting to say they would not celebrate the Diwali till the child was rescued, The NewsMinute reported.
At 8.45 am on Tuesday morning, over 42,000 people had tweeted with #RIPSujith. Another 4000 people had tweeted with #SorrySujith.
Following the news of his death, DMK chief MK Stalin said it was a loss to the country.
Several state ministers paid tribute to Sujith.