Bhopal, July 14 : Two minor girls drowned after falling into a rainwater-filled, abandoned borewell in Hiloundha village of Nagaud tehsil of Satna district.

The tragedy occurred around 3 p.m. on Sunday when 16-year-old Somvati and her 12-year-old friend Durga, both residents of Reura Kala Bhatwa, were accompanying their families for paddy plantation work. Their bodies have been recovered after eight hours of the rescue operation.

According to officials, the girls wandered into a nearby field owned by Ramesh Mishra while playing. Due to heavy rainfall earlier in the day, the field was waterlogged, obscuring the open borewell. Locals believe Durga slipped into the pit first, and Somvati, in an attempt to rescue her, also fell in. The borewell had reportedly been left uncovered after its casing was removed following a failed installation attempt.

The rescue operation, led by SDM Jitendra Verma and supported by the State Disaster Emergency Response Force (SDERF), faced significant challenges due to the remote location and waterlogged terrain. Somvati's body was recovered by 5 p.m. on Sunday with the help of villagers, a police official said, while Durga's body, trapped nearly 20 feet deep, was retrieved around 12:45 a.m. (Monday) after hours of intensive effort and manual search. The site was approximately 3.5 kilometres from the nearest village and accessible only via muddy tractor paths, further complicating rescue logistics.

Both bodies were sent to Nagod Hospital for post-mortem examination, they said. On Sunday, the district public relations officer, in a post on the official X handle, wrote, 'In a distressing incident near Hilondha village in Satna's Nagaud tehsil, two young girls from the Chaudhary family tragically fell into an uncovered borewell located in an agricultural field. The family, originally from Reura Kala Bhatwa, had come to the site for farming activities. While rescue teams have successfully retrieved the body of one child, efforts are still underway to locate and recover the second girl.'

Authorities have initiated the process for compensation under the Revenue Book Circular, with Rs 5,000 provided immediately to each family and Rs 4 lakh per victim pending approval. The incident has reignited concerns over the safety of abandoned borewells in rural areas.

Despite previous directives from the district administration to seal such hazards, the borewell in question remained exposed, leading to the fatal accident.

/IANS