The survival hopes of six-year-old Thimanna who fell into a deep borewell Sunday on the outskirts of a village near here, receded as rescuers failed to reach him despite trying for over 48 hours.
"I fear the worst. I am not sure if my son is alive as he is buried under mud in the borewell for over 48 hours. Please call off the rescue operation," Thimanna's father Hanumappa Hatti told district in-charge minister S.R. Patil at the spot even as resue operation continued.
Thimanna fell into the 240-feet abandoned borewell in his father's sugarcane field at Sulikeri in Badami taluk, about 550 km northwest of Bangalore.
According to the boy's friends, Thimanna had gone to the farm Sunday afternoon to show his cousin the borewell but fell into it as it was not fenced and soil around it was slippery due to rains.
"We are going ahead with the rescue operation to extricate Thimanna in whatever condition he may be. As efforts to reach him through a robotic arm did not succeed yesterday (Monday), another attempt is being made today (Tuesday) by another expert from Madurai in Tamil Nadu with his robotic machine," Patil told reporters.
In a parallel operation, eight excavators have been digging a trench round-the-clock near the abandoned borewell to reach the boy who is stuck at a depth of 160feet.
"Though the excavators have dug up to 90 feet so far, they have to dig another 60-70 feet to make an L-shaped passage to take the boy out of the borewell by tomorrow (Wednesday) at least," Patil said.
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Besides supplying oxygen constantly through a pipe to enable Thimanna breathe, the rescue team is monitoring the situation in the deep hole through a CCTV camera.
The rescue team consists of a dozen members from the National Disaster Rescue Force and 10 experts from the state-run Hutti Gold Mines in the neighbouring Raichur district.
District fire brigade and emergency services personnel are assisting the team in the rescue effort.
An ambulance has been kept ready at the spot for emergency treatment of Thimanna once he is pulled out and to rush him to the state-run district hospital here.
As hundreds of people from the surrounding villages and towns have been flocking to the village to watch the rescue operation, police deployed a large contingent to cordon off the area and maintain vigil at the spot.