Rescuers have dug 42 feet into an abandoned deep-well shaft in Rajshahi in a desperate search for two-year-old Sajid, who fell into the narrow borehole on Wednesday, but have yet to locate the child.
Fire Service officials say the operation will continue until he is safely rescued.
The incident occurred around noon on Wednesday in Koelhat Purbo Para village of Tanore upazila, when Sajid slipped into a narrow hole with an 8-foot radius that had been dug for a deep tube-well. Since then, firefighters and local volunteers have been working tirelessly to reach him.
A larger pit was excavated alongside the narrow shaft using heavy machinery, aligned to the original borehole, but no trace of the boy has been found. Fire Service personnel exited the excavation site around 1:20pm on Thursday.
Lt Col Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury, director (Operations and Maintenance) of the Fire Service, said, “We have dug down 42 feet but still haven’t found the child. We will consult local community leaders and continue the operation. Even if he is 100 feet underground, we will keep digging. Our work will not stop until Sajid is found.”
Eight Fire Service teams from Rajshahi, Chapainawabganj, Naogaon, and Tanore are involved in the operation. Oxygen supply and ventilation have been arranged inside the borehole to support the rescue, while three excavators are being used for digging. Police, local residents, and the upazila administration are assisting in the efforts.
Officials noted that the area is prone to water scarcity, and such abandoned boreholes are common. Water is rarely found at these depths, and test bores are usually dug before installing deep tube-wells.
The deep well where Sajid fell is believed to be one of these abandoned wells, typically 100 to 150 feet deep.
Sajid’s father, Rakibul Islam, a warehouse manager in Dhaka and resident of Koelhat village, said the toddler went missing while accompanying his wife, Runa Khatun, who had another child in her arms.
“I was walking ahead, and Sajid was behind me. A moment later, he was gone. I could only hear him calling, ‘Ma, Ma,’ from the pit,” she recounted, visibly distressed.
Hundreds of villagers have gathered at the site, anxiously following the ongoing rescue operation. Authorities have vowed to continue their efforts until Sajid is safely recovered.
