‘Hard Rock Formation Hampering Rescue Efforts'

At the current pace, it will take no less than 12 hours to reach a depth of 98 feet, unless there is some change in the composition of the ground beneath, says CRA.

- S. Ganesan

The hardened rock around the abandoned borewell, in which two-year-old Sujith Wilson remains trapped, is hampering rescue efforts and posing a challenge even to the best of the drilling and mining equipment deployed in the mission, Commissioner of Revenue Administration J. Radhakrishnan has said.

The presence of the hardened rock, comprising quartz and feldspar, meant that the high-powered, German-made machine could drill only 280-500 cm an hour. At this pace, it would take no less than 12 hours to reach a depth of 98 feet, unless there was some change in the composition of the ground beneath, Dr. Radhakrishnan said.