Raipur, Jun 13 (PTI) Over 78 hours after he fell into a deep borewell, 11-year-old Rahul Sahu Monday remained stuck as rescuers, including personnel of the NDRF, Army and the police, struggled to cut under-surface rocks for setting up a tunnel from a parallel pit to reach the boy.

Also Read | 7th Pay Commission Latest Update: Centre Likely To Announce 5% Hike in Dearness Allowance for Government Employees; Check Details.

Also Read | Presidential Elections 2022: Congress Wants Sharad Pawar As Joint Opposition Candidate for President.

According to government officials, Sahu is conscious and showing movements.

Over 500 personnel, including officials of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the Army, local police and the administration, are involved in the massive rescue operation that has been underway since Friday evening.

Sahu fell into the unused 80-feet-deep borewell, located in the backyard of his house in Pihrid village in Malkharoda development block, around 2 pm on Friday while playing, officials said.

He is stuck at the depth of around 60 feet and a pipeline has been installed for the oxygen supply, they said.

“The presence of hard rocks has hampered the work to establish a tunnel, around 15 feet long, between the parallel pit and the borewell to reach the child. Rescuers have been finding it hard to cut the rock even with the drilling machines,” Inspector (NDRF) Mahabeer Mohanty told PTI over the phone.

Mohanty has been heading the rescue team of the NDRF's 3rd battalion at the spot since Friday.

Asked how much time it will take for the rescue, he said, “any timeline cannot be predicted but we are hoping to reach the horizon late tonight”.

“We, along with health officials, have been constantly monitoring Rahul's condition through the camera. We have sent down a speaker through rope so that his parents can speak to him and encourage him. He was given bananas and the ORS solution today.

"According to the parents, the child is not sound mentally and could not communicate properly. He is not responding to our commands properly. We would have pulled him out through rope much earlier but he did not hold it,” he said.

Mohanty said rescuers are also maintaining precaution as there is no casing pipe inside the borewell, which is 8-inch wide, so there is a risk of soil caving in.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, who is in constant touch with officials involved in rescue work, has directed the medical team to remain alert and create a green corridor to shift the child to the hospital as soon as he is rescued, a government statement said.

A team of healthcare personnel has made all the necessary arrangements at the spot to provide immediate aid to the child while an ambulance with all facilities has also been put in the place to shift him to Apollo Hospital in Bilapur, it said.

“There was some water inside the borewell where the child was trapped. NDRF personnel were continuously trying to drain it out. Villagers in the area were asked to switch on their borewells while water was also being released from two nearby stop dams to lower the groundwater level”, the release said.

Meanwhile, prayers poured in on social media for the safe rescue of the child.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)