Sujith Wilson, who is believed to be between 2 and 3 years old, fell down the well around 5:45 p.m. Friday in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, district fire officer Puru Gandhi told CNN.
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Gandhi said a small camera has been lowered into the well to monitor the condition of the boy, who is breathing.
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Oxygen is being pumped into the pit and rescuers are working to drill a shaft parallel to the well.
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The state’s Commissioner for Disaster Management and Mitigation, J. Radhakrishnan, told CNN that rescuers were able to dig down to 45 feet but then hit rocks.
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“We are not able to predict the nature (of the ground); it is full of rock,” Radhakrishnan said.
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“We have been giving him (the trapped boy) oxygen, but it is a difficult kind of situation. Hopefully, the operation will complete in eight-10 hours. Let us pray.”
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The chief minister of Tamil Nadu, Edappadi K Palaniswami, tweeted that “heavy duty drilling machines and equipments have been deployed” and that “further assistance will be sought depending on the status of the rescue efforts.”
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Around 550 people are involved in the rescue operation, Radhakrishnan said, including workers from fire services, national and state disaster management agencies and the police.
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Technical experts from mining company NLC India, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation and the National Technical Institute are also involved.
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Indians have been glued to the rescue attempt, with the hashtags #prayforsurjeeth and #sujithwilson trending on Twitter.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted support for the rescue operation, saying “every effort” was being made to save the boy.
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“My prayers are with the young and brave Sujith Wilson. Spoke to CM @EPSTamilNadu regarding the rescue efforts underway to save Sujith. Every effort is being made to ensure that he is safe. @CMOTamilNadu,” Modi wrote Monday.
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In January this year, an operation to rescue a toddler who fell down a well in Spain ended in tragedy when his body was recovered almost two weeks after he disappeared.