Pathanamthitta: Trapped in the chilling, murky depths of a 50-foot well, Elizabeth Babu of Vayala Plavilayil house endured a nightmare that even she hesitates to relive. The 58-year-old found herself in a harrowing predicament for an agonizing 20 hours after narrowly escaping a wild boar attack on Monday evening in Erathu Panachat near Adoor.
The terrifying sequence of events unfolded as Elizabeth, fleeing from an aggressive wild boar, sought refuge near an abandoned property. "I had gone to feed my cow. The boar was violent, charging at me and hitting my hand. It again came back charging at me. I ran for my life to the adjacent property, but the animal kept chasing me," recounted Elizabeth.
In a desperate move, she ran onto a well covered with two old wooden window pieces, only to fall into the neck-deep water below as the windowpanes proved to be a treacherous perch, breaking under her weight. "I managed to grasp onto a platform within the well, desperately keeping myself afloat. Despite the initial shock and fear, I found solace in clinging to the well ring, but neck-deep in water. Throughout the night, my pleas for help echoed in the darkness," she says.
The well and an abandoned old house stood in a deserted location, nearly 100 metres away from her house and nobody heard her cries and shouting from inside the deep well.
Meanwhile, Elizabeth's husband Babu, a welder, returned home in the evening to find his wife missing. Terrified by the incident, he soon lodged a police complaint and initiated a search.
As dawn broke, her hope flickered with sunlight. Thirst and cold became constant companions during the ordeal, but Elizabeth kept her resolve. When she felt thirsty, she drank some water from the well itself.
The turning point came in the afternoon when a rescue team, led by Panchayat member Susan Sasi Kumar (ward 4), arrived on the scene on Tuesday afternoon. According to Susan, the locals and Fire and Rescue personnel are still in disbelief as they rallied together for a dramatic rescue operation.
The panchayat member had reached the spot along with a few others and heard Elizabeth's cries emanating from the well, prompting an urgent rescue attempt that proved futile due to the well's considerable depth. "We soon alerted the fire and rescue department, which carried out the rescue mission," she says.
Elizabeth was rescued from the well using a net by a Fire and Rescue team led by Station Officer Vinod Kumar. Two officials, Grade Assistant Station Officer Aji Kumar, and a Fire Officer were lowered into the well and successfully brought her out. The woman was then rushed to Adoor General Hospital for treatment. Elizabeth is now recovering from her traumatic experience, grateful for the support that ultimately led to her safe return.
She was discharged from the hospital around 11 am on Wednesday and appeared before the Adoor police to give a statement. Barring a few injuries caused by the impact of the fall, Elizabeth looked fine now.
"She seemed remarkably calm considering her predicament. Given the length of time that she had been in the water, it was no surprise that she was slightly hypothermic. We warmed her up, and thankfully she appears to be none the worse for her experience," added Susan, the Panchayat member who led the rescue mission.
