The 19-month-old toddler's parents had left her under a tree while working on a tapioca farm to earn wage.
Thailand rescuers cheered at the sight of a toddler as she was brought out of a deep well after an 18-hour-long struggle on February 7. The incident occurred on February 6 when the 19-month-old girl slipped into a shaft that was 13-meter-deep and only 30-centimeter-wide. The shocking incident moved the rescuers and locals as they rushed in to help. The girl’s parents who are from Myanmar are migrants and work in the area as per Bangkok Post.
The toddler only suffered minor injuries as she lay in the pit away from everyone. Reports suggest that the incident occurred when the parents were working at the cassava plantation farm in Thailand’s Tak province near the Myanmar border.
On the afternoon of February 6, the child went missing as the parents alerted people around about it. Rescue workers managed to discover her location after hearing faint cries from the well.
Authorities worked overnight as they used excavation devices to unearth another pit parallel to the well. The toddler was checked upon by a camera and oxygen was regularly supplied through the narrow gap under the ground.
“It seemed like an easy operation at first because it looked like loose dirt, but once we started digging we found rock, which made it difficult because excavators can’t dig through it,” Phop Phra district chief Sanya Phetset told Thairath TV, per ABC News. The operation was taken care of with great precision as the digging may have caused the well's walls to fall over the child under the ground.
“She is safe now. She’s a bit tired but there’s nothing serious,” he added as the baby was rushed to the hospital to treat minor injuries. The pit had been dug by the landowner to build an artesian well which was left uncovered with no safety measures around it, which caused the toddler to slip into it. The well had failed to strike groundwater after being dug and hence, was left dry.
Moment toddler pulled from 50ft-deep well after 18-hour rescue mission in Thailand https://t.co/ssYkvXoCdX
— The Independent (@Independent) February 7, 2023
The girl was safe and rescued after a relentless effort by the rescuers who also posted about the same on their Facebook page. “Great job, guys. She has signs of fatigue but still has good vital signs,” local police chief Ratsaran Ketsoising told AFP as reported by BBC. Rescuers shared a joyous moment as their hard work bore fruits of success, they cried cheered, and hugged each other as the parents showed their gratitude towards them.
An overnight rescue operation successfully retrieved a 19-month-old girl from a dry artesian well shaft Tuesday — 18 hours after she fell into the hole at a cassava farm in northern Thailand. https://t.co/jgKKSuATqc
— The Associated Press (@AP) February 7, 2023
The child’s parents later shared that they had left their toddler under the tree at a distance from the tapioca farm in the Khiri Rat sub-district. "We are so glad we could rescue her safely. We have been trying since yesterday afternoon. We worked without sleep. Everyone helped out," rescue worker Chanachart Wancharernrung informed reporters, per BBC.
The Facebook page of the rescuers, Fire & Rescue Thailand shared the news of the rescue with a picture of the child being rushed to hospital after the successful operation. The post was captioned, “Updated on 10:40 am Rescue officers successfully rescued a 1-year-old girl who fell into a pipe in Bor Badal. Tak. Continue to be rushed to the hospital."
Reference:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-64553751
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=569542048534563&set=a.459790849509684
Cover Image Source: Facebook | Fire & Rescue Thailand
