Odisha borewell rescue: How Victim Location Camera helped rescuers accomplish a challenging ops

A newborn baby that was found stuck in an open borewell at Laripali in Rengali area of Sambalpur district was rescued following an eight-hour-long operation.

Apart from the undaunting spirit of the rescue workers particularly the fire fighting personnel, an electrical equipment which helped a lot in rescuing the newborn child, was Victim Location Camera.

The camera was airlifted from Bhubaneswar and reached the spot at Laripali in the Rengali area of Sambalpur just at the nick of time enabling the rescue workers to locate the baby accurately.

Also Read | Infant Stuck inside Borewell in Odisha, Rescued after 8-hour-long Operation

“It is also called search camera. It helps us locate the victim inside a hole like borewell or under some debris. We can even know whether the victim is alive or dead inside the hole directing our rescue operation accordingly,” said a Striking Team member Dilip Jena.

“We left Bhubaneswar with the camera by a special flight at around 6:40pm. After arriving at Jharsuguda airport, a piloting vehicle took us to the spot at Rengali where the camera was used,” Jena added.

“The rescue operation was challenging for us. After reaching the spot we heard the cries of the baby. It made us conduct the rescue operation on war footing. Fire Services DG sent the camera from Bhubaneswar which helped us a lot to rescue the baby,” said another fire fighter.

DG of Odisha Fire Services, Sudhansu Sarangi, who was providing updates on the progress of the rescue operation at regular intervals, said that extreme care was taken for the safety of the infant.

“As the iron pipe of the abandoned borewell was old and rusted, it was cut with an electric cutter. Earlier, a victim location camera had been sent to the site to ascertain the condition of the stuck child,” said Sarangi.

As per reports, after hearing the cries of the infant, locals came to know about the incident in the noon. A team of fire personnel initially rushed to the spot and started the rescue operation. Later, an ODRAF team joined the exercise. The infant was stuck at around 15 to 20 ft depth inside the borewell.

Three excavators were deployed to dig a pit alongside the borewell. A team of health officials were also at the spot. Keeping in mind the likelihood of suffocation, the rescuers pumped oxygen through a pipe into the borewell. Amid cold conditions, a filament bulb was sent inside to ensure warmth for the infant. Finally, after the victim location camera was brought from Bhubaneswar, the baby was safely rescued from the borewell following eight hours of gruelling operation.

What is a 'Victim Location Camera'

The device enables a telescopic probe which mounts, at its head, a sensitive articulable video camera, supported by appropriate illumination to insert below the debris. The images can be viewed by the operator and other rescue personnel on remote display monitors.

The system also integrates a two-way audio system which can pick up life sounds from the victim and also permits the passage of spoken instructions or assurances to him from the rescue team.

Since a rigid telescopic probe has limitations on how far it can be inserted, the camera, light and sound system can also be mounted on one end of a cable which can be used to reach greater depths.

Also Read | 'Infant' Found Stuck inside Borewell in Odisha’s Sambalpur