Decomposed body of boy trapped in borewell pulled out

Bagalkot, Aug 11: The decomposed body of a six-year old boy trapped inside a borewell in his father's farm at nearby Sulikeri village was pulled out in the early hours today, eight days after he fell into it with the massive rescue operation ending on a tragic note.

The body of Thimmanna Hatti was extricated in the presence of his family members and cremated after an autopsy was performed, Bagalkot Deputy Commissioner P A Meghannavar told reporters here.

High powered suction machine and air compressors were used to remove the body which was stuck at a depth of 172 feet in the 300 feet borewell, district authorities said.

The rescue operation, involving about 500 personnel, including teams from National Disaster Relief Force, Hutti Gold Mines from neighbouring Raichur District and Fire Brigade, was called off on Saturday on the advice of soil, medical and forensic experts after their site visit and an all-party meeting.

Authorities had, however, resumed the operation yesterday to take out the body on the advice of the state Advocate General, who said it must be retrieved to perform the post mortem to ascertain the cause of death.

After the body was pulled out, work began to close the borewell, officials said.

Bagalkot District Health Officer B D Kittura had said on Wednesday itself that considering the foul smell emanating from the borewell, the boy might not be alive.

Meanwhile, work was underway to fill the pit-cum-tunnel that was being dug to gain access to the boy.

Facing a dilemma, the boy's father Hanumantha Hatti had pleaded in writing with authorities to stop the operation saying continuing it would only damage his land while the villagers also put pressure on authorities to heed to his plea.