Boy slips further into borewell as rescue operations continue

Vartha Bharati | 26-10-2019 | 23:17:00 IST

Tiruchirappalli, Oct 26: Rescue operations continued on Saturday night to pull out a three-year-old boy who fell into an abandoned borewell near Manapparai in the district, even as authorities suffered a setback as the the child slipped further.

The child, who fell into the 600 ft borewell while playing near his house at Nadukattupatti on Friday evening, was initially stuck at a depth of 35 feet but drifted further to over 90 feet with efforts to rescue him commencing last evening.

Oxygen is being continuously supplied to the boy who has been trapped since 5.30 pm.

According to officials, six teams were involved in the rescue operations.

"We could hear the child weeping.. for a long time.. but now we cannot hear. But we feel the child is safe and breathing," the officials said.

Authorities said they were unable to assess the boy's condition because of the layers of wet mud around him.

Specialised teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and state Disaster Response Force (SDRF) joined the rescue operations.

State Health and Family Welfare Minister C Vijayabaskar, who has been camping at the site since Friday night, said all efforts were on to save the child.

A parallel borewell of one metre in diameter was beingdug to rescue the child, he added.

The efforts would require three to four hours, he noted.

Minister Vellamandi Natarajan was also overseeing the rescue operations.

Hundreds of people in the state prayed for the child, with political leaders such as DMK president M K Stalin and AMMK leader TTV Dhinakaran joining them in wishing that the boy was rescued at the earliest.

According to officials, efforts to rescue the child included the use of modern equipment.

Meanwhile, the district administration ordered that all open bore wells in the district be closed.

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First-ever life-size Vivekananda statue in US unveiled in Seattle

12-04-2026 ¦ 12-04-2026 IST

Photo: PTI

New York (PTI): The first-ever life-size statue of Swami Vivekananda in the US was unveiled in Seattle, honouring the renowned Indian philosopher and spiritual leader.

The life-size bronze statue, installed at the busy Westlake Square in downtown Seattle, is the first such installation hosted by a city government anywhere in the US, officials said.

Sculpted by Indian artist Naresh Kumar Kumawat, it was jointly unveiled on Saturday by Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson and Consul General of India in Seattle Prakash Gupta.

"From Chicago 1893 to Seattle 2026! Seattle's skyline has a new Indian icon: Swami Vivekananda! City of Seattle becomes the first city government to host the Swami Vivekananda Monument in the heart of downtown Seattle," the Consulate General of India in Seattle said in a social media post.

Addressing the event, Wilson said the monument reflects Seattle's inclusive spirit and strengthens cultural ties between India and the diverse metropolitan tech hub in the US Pacific Northwest.

The statue has been gifted by the Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR) to the City of Seattle in recognition of its "in recognition of the city’s rich multicultural character and spirit of inclusivity", the Indian mission in Seattle said in a statement.

The unveiling of the statue was held on the occasion of the celebration of ICCR Day and is part of India's broader cultural diplomacy initiatives aimed at strengthening people-to-people ties between India and the US Pacific Northwest, the Consulate said.

Located at the bustling Westlake Square, which sees over 400,000 visitors daily, the monument stands near prominent landmarks including the Amazon headquarters ‘Spheres’, the Seattle Convention Centre and the Seattle Centre Monorail.

The unveiling ceremony was attended by several local leaders, including mayors from cities in the Greater Seattle area, community representatives and members of the Indian-American diaspora.

Swami Vivekananda had delivered his historic address at the World’s Parliament of Religions in Chicago in 1893, introducing Hindu philosophy to a global audience.