Puri: A girl, aged about a year-and-a-half, lost her life on Friday after falling into an open borewell while playing on the district headquarters hospital (DHH) premises where construction was going on for a new five-storey building.Daughter of Ajay Nayak of Narendra Kona Mangala Sahi area in Puri, Samayira had come to visit her maternal uncle’s house at Raybahadur Lane in the district. Around noon, while playing near her uncle’s house, she accidentally fell into the borewell.Kumbharpada police and fire services personnel reached the spot and launched a rescue operation. The child was rushed to the DHH, where doctors declared her brought dead.Assistant fire officer Pravat Rout said the girl was rescued within 30 minutes. “Onlookers raised an alarm, following which the fire team reached the spot within a few minutes,” Rout said.Chief district medical officer Akshaya Satpathy said an inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the circumstances leading to the incident. He said the child was dead by the time she was brought to the hospital for treatment.Family members alleged that the borewell, which was over 50 feet deep and around 10 feet wide, had been left uncovered for the last five days.The child’s maternal uncle, Gajendra Nayak, claimed he had repeatedly urged the construction workers to cover the open borewell which was located near his house, but no action was taken.He also alleged that some bystander was busy shooting a video of the incident when his niece fell into the borewell, without offering help, a claim which police are yet to verify.“An investigation into the incident has been initiated,” said Bijay Behera, inspector in-charge of Kumbharpada police station, without elaborating further.
