Race against time to save an 8-year-old boy after he fell 55 feet into a well

Tanmay Sagu, 8, was playing with friends on Tuesday in Madhya Pradesh when he fell into a borehole - a deep hole that farmers use to extract water from the earth during the dry months

Eight-year-old Tanmay Sahu from the central state of Madhya Pradesh in India

Rescuers frantically try to rescue a boy who has fallen into a 400 foot deep pit.

Tanmay Sagu, 8, was playing with friends on Tuesday night in Madhya Pradesh, India, when he fell into a borehole, a deep hole farmers use to extract water from the ground by shortage.

District Magistrate Shyamendra Jaiswal told ANI news agency that the operation could continue for a few more hours.

"It's taking longer than expected because there are stones [inside the well]," he said.

The team uses excavators to remove stone from the passage.

Tanmay is stuck about 55 feet down the 400 foot deep shaft.

The youngster is about 55 feet into the 400 foot pit

The rescue team managed to get an oxygen tube to the boy's location, but they were unable to assess his condition through the layers of mud.

The Madhya Pradesh Disaster Response Team rushed to the aid of the boy after the fall in Betul district.

Lawmaker Shivraj Singh Chouhan said he was in "constant contact" with local authorities and was praying for the youngster's safe return to his family.

Betul Supplementary District Magistrate Shyamendra Jayaswal said the boy was 'unresponsive' - meaning he may have passed out during the ordeal.

Jayaswal told ANI news agency: "The rescue operation has been ongoing since we received the information. Efforts are being made to get the child out.

"At 2:30 a.m., the SDRF [State Disaster Response Force], home guards and police teams arrived on scene to rescue the child. It could take another two to three hours."

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