Sujith Wilson (7 October 2017 – 26 October 2019) was a two-year-old who died on 26 October 2019 after falling into an abandoned deep bore well by his house in Nadukattupatti, a village near Trichy (a town in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu).[1] He fell into the borewell on 25 October 2019 at around 5:45 pm while his mother was attending his elder brother. The rescue operations commenced on 25 October 2019 around 8:00 pm and went in full swing continuously for more than 80 hours.[2] The rescue operation was affected by rain. The operations to rescue Sujith went viral across the country as prayers were conducted for the rescue operations of the boy. Around 2:00 am, 30 October 2019 officials confirmed the death of the boy, and the last rites were held six hours later.[3] Following and the sensitive and tragic aspect of the two year boy's incident, politicians and celebrities across India paid tribute and offered their condolences for Sujith Wilson.[4]
Development
editSujith fell into the deep bore well on 25 October 2019 at around 5.45 in the evening and was initially stuck at 30 ft but then fell deep to about 88 ft.[5] A constant supply of oxygen was given to the child to help his survival in the deep underground environment with traces of oxygen.
A wider tube-well was drilled for over two days in order to rescue the child since initial efforts to save the child from the existing bore hole failed.[6] The officials also felt difficulties to assess the condition of the boy due to covering of mud.[7] Nearly 550 rescue operators were indulged in this rescue operation.
The whole incident went viral across all social media platforms and led to the development of hashtags such as #PrayforSujith and #SujithWilson went viral on Twitter in support of the rescue operations.[8]
Death
editThe rescue operation was put on hold in late night on 28 October 2019 after detecting the odor of decomposition at the top of the bore well. The officials initially speculated that the boy might have been dead. The following day, it was officially announced that Sujith was dead and the decomposing body was recovered around 2 am.[9]
Response
editM. K. Stalin, leader of DMK, tweeted his tributes and condolences to the child's family and criticised the Tamil Nadu government for the drawbacks and shortcomings regarding the failure of the rescue operations.[10] Sujith's death was also mourned in Sri Lanka as few local leading newspapers such as The Daily Mirror depicted the tragedy of Sujith Wilson as the main headlines by adding "The rescue mission to save toddler".[11]
Several film actors and actresses paid tribute to the child in social media such as Rajinikanth, Vivek, Samantha Akkineni, Udhayanidhi Stalin and Vikram Prabhu[12] Politicians including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Rahul Gandhi and cricketers Ravichandran Ashwin, Harbhajan Singh also poured in condolences to the child.[13]
Funeral
editHis body was buried at the Fathima Pudur Burial Grounds in Malaiyadhipathi on 29 October 2019 at 8 am.[14]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Helen Regan; Akanksha Sharma (29 October 2019). "Indian toddler dies after days trapped in well". CNN. Archived from the original on 29 October 2019. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
- ^ "Rescue under way to save toddler stuck in well in India". www.aljazeera.com. Archived from the original on 30 October 2019. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
- ^ "Indian toddler stuck in borewell found dead". 29 October 2019. Archived from the original on 29 October 2019. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
- ^ "Tamil Nadu: Condolences pour in for 2-year-old Sujith, whose body was recovered after almost 80 hours". The Indian Express. 29 October 2019. Archived from the original on 29 October 2019. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
- ^ "Indian toddler stuck in abandoned well for three days". www.aljazeera.com. Archived from the original on 30 October 2019. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
- ^ "Muddled Rescue Blamed For Death Of Tamil Nadu Boy Sujith Wilson Who Fell Into Borewell". NDTV.com. Archived from the original on 29 October 2019. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
- ^ "Rescuers try to save toddler stuck in well". 28 October 2019. Archived from the original on 30 October 2019. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
- ^ Omar Khan; Esha Mitra; Bianca Britton (28 October 2019). "Rescuers race to save toddler trapped in 88-foot well since Friday". CNN. Archived from the original on 29 October 2019. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
- ^ "Indian toddler dies after being stuck in well for five days". www.aljazeera.com. Archived from the original on 30 October 2019. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
- ^ "#RIPSujith, #SorrySujith Flood Twitter In Grief For Tamil Nadu 2-Year-Old". NDTV.com. Archived from the original on 30 October 2019. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
- ^ Srinivasan, Meera (30 October 2019). "Sri Lanka mourns Sujith's death". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 30 October 2019. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
- ^ Subramanian, Anupama (30 October 2019). "Goodbye Young one!". Deccan Chronicle. Archived from the original on 29 October 2019. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
- ^ NDTVSports.com. "Sujith Wilson, Trichy: Ravichandran Ashwin, Harbhajan Singh". NDTVSports.com. Archived from the original on 30 October 2019. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
- ^ "The remains of the child Sujith Wilson buried". Hiru News. Archived from the original on 30 October 2019. Retrieved 30 October 2019.