Farmer dies rescuing grandson trapped in borewell

Hyderabad: A 55-year-old farmer died Saturday while attempting to rescue his four-year-old grandson who had fallen into an open borewell at an agricultural field in Utlapally village of Nalgonda district.A Venkanna had gone to his agricultural field with his grandson Himansh and granddaughter Lohita, 7. Police said the children were playing in the field when Himansh fell into the borewell. Venkanna leaned into the borewell while trying to rescue the boy but lost his balance and slipped in, headfirst.Lohita, who had seen her brother and grandfather falling into the borewell, alerted a passerby who informed the sarpanch.Miryalaguda Rural sub-inspector M Laxmaiah said he was nearby on another investigation when he received the information. "I immediately rushed to the spot along with a constable. On the way, we alerted the fire department, arranged for an ambulance and called for an earthmover. By the time we reached, several villagers had already gathered there," he said.Police, along with villagers, launched a rescue operation. A local volunteered to enter the borewell with a rope tied around his legs. He first brought out Venkanna and then the boy."The boy was safe but Venkanna was unconscious when he was pulled out. We shifted him to the area hospital where doctors declared him dead. We suspect suffocation and heat inside the borewell may have caused his death," said the SI.Venkanna's body was handed over to his family after postmortem. Police have registered a case under Section 194 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS).