Four-year-old Akshata Hanumant Patil of Nagathan village slipped and fell into an abandoned borewell on Tuesday night while being chased by a stray dog.

Additional Deputy Commissioner Kavita Mannikeri, who has been camping at the site, said the girl is at a depth of 28 feet in the borewell.

Upon receiving the information, the SP, the fire brigade, health department officials, doctors, Zilla Parishad engineering wing and PWD officials reached the village and started rescue operations.

She said JCBs were pressed into service to dig a slanting ‘L’ shaped parallel well at a distance of around 60 metres from the borewell. She said that expert rescue teams from the Hatti Gold Mine and Pune’s National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are also engaged in rescue operations.

The experts have decided to dig a parallel well to a depth of 35 feet and then drill a tunnel horizontally to reach the borewell. Kavita said the task of digging the parallel well is getting delayed due to very hard basalt rock.

Meanwhile, the district administration contacted Manikanthan from Madurai, who is known for his invention of a robot designed to lift children caught in borewells.

Hopes of the rescue operation coming to an end arose when Manikanthan readied himself to drop the robot.

But experts from the NDRF convinced Manikanthan that the robot could be used once a platform is formed to ensure that the child will not be pushed further down.

They pointed out that the rescue operations would be very tough if the child is pushed further down the borewell.