9-year-old falls into 20-foot-deep drain in Ahmedabad, rescue ops underway

A nine-year-old girl fell into a 20-foot-deep open drain on Narol-Pirana Road in Gujarat's Ahmedabad, an official said.

The incident occured on Saturday, after which a rescue operation has been underway for around seven hours, with teams yet to trace her.

The incident occurred when the girl's mother was paying the fare after getting down from a rickshaw. The girl, who was walking a short distance behind her mother, suddenly fell into the open drain, triggering panic at the spot.

Soon after the incident, police and fire brigade teams rushed to the spot after receiving information about the incident and launched a search operation. Despite continuous efforts, the girl has not been traced so far, an official added.

While speaking to ANI, Maninagar Fire Station Officer Pravin Singh Solanki said the fire brigade received a call at around 4 pm, following which teams reached the spot and began the search operation.

"We received the call at 4 PM, and our teams reached the spot soon after... The search operation is underway... The teams have searched the area and checked the pumping station but have not found any clues yet," Solanki said.

He said Border Security Force (BSF) personnel would be sent into the drain to assess the water depth and conditions before the search proceeds further.

"We will send BSF personnel inside to assess the water depth and conditions. If the current allows, we will move further ahead, open the sewer manhole covers, and inspect the route up to the pumping station... We will continue the search until we find her," Solanki added.

The rescue operation is underway, with teams searching the drain and examining the route towards the pumping station in an effort to locate the girl.