Four-year-old rescued after being trapped for hours in Tebet construction hole

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Police have recounted the evacuation of a four-year-old boy, identified by the initial I, who was trapped for four hours in a construction hole at a multifunctional field project in Manggarai, Tebet, South Jakarta, on Saturday night into the early hours of Sunday. “We received a report from residents that a small child had fallen into a construction hole,” said Tebet Police Chief AKP Ischak to reporters in Jakarta on Sunday. Ischak personally led the inspection and handling process at the scene after police received the report concerning a child who had fallen into a hole at the RW 04 Park project on Jalan Manggarai Utara II, Manggarai Urban Village, Tebet District. The incident occurred around 11.40 p.m. Western Indonesia Time, when the victim was playing with friends near the project area. The victim fell into a hole approximately 3.5 to 4 metres deep with a diameter of around 30 by 30 centimetres. “The victim’s friends then sought help from officers at the Manggarai Tactical Command Post, who subsequently alerted the Tebet Police Sector duty officers, prompting them to proceed to the scene,” he said. In the initial stage, officers attempted a manual evacuation by sending a smaller-built personnel into the hole to pull the victim out. However, this effort was unsuccessful due to the narrow size of the hole and the child’s traumatised condition. Officers then coordinated with several relevant agencies, including the Fire and Rescue Service, Tebet Community Health Centre, and Tebet Regional General Hospital, and brought in heavy equipment to assist the rescue operation. Two excavators were deployed to dig carefully, first creating a safe path at the side of the hole to prevent a collapse. Police also set up a perimeter around the location to secure the area and prevent crowds from hindering the evacuation process. After a rescue operation lasting approximately four hours, the victim was successfully evacuated at around 3.55 a.m. Western Indonesia Time and was immediately taken to Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital for further medical treatment.