The members of Fire Service and Civil Defence have declared the efforts to rescue the four-year-old Jihad from inside the 600-ft pipe suspended on Saturday afternoon, 23 hours after the salvage operation began on Friday afternoon.
Fire Service DG Brig Gen Ali Ahmed Khan made the announcement at 2:40pm after the rescuers failed to detect any human body inside the tube-well, using high-tech camera and catcher.
He said: "We have tried several times. But could not detect the location of the boy. Experts from different organisations also could not find any specific evidence in this regard. However, we continued the rescue efforts as the parents requested us."
"We are now handing over the operation to railway engineers. They will take further step in this regard and the fire fighters will help them if necessary."
"We are thanking all for their efforts and expressing our sorrow and shock for the family members of the ill-fated boy," added the DG.
Despite the announcement by State Minister for Home Affairs Asaduzzaman Khan that none has been trapped inside the abandoned 600-ft deep water pump pipe, the rescue operation was continued till Saturday afternoon in face of the demand of the locals.
The rescuers have made an iron cage, which was used for taking the ill-fated boy out of the 600-ft hole. A camera was attached with cage in order to monitor the situation inside the hole for the third time.
DAD Halim of Fire Service and Civil Defence told a TV channel that despite of trying several times on Saturday morning, the rescuers failed to trace the boy.
The firefighters made several attempts to bring the boy out of the well using a rope as it was not possible for them to send a rescuer inside the 17-inch diameter well which has a two-inch thick shaft inside.
However, Fire Service DG Brig Gen Ali Ahmed Khan did not declare the rescue operation closed as the locals wished to continue it. "If they [locals] want to continue the search, we will help them at any cost," he said earlier.
Minister Asaduzzaman, who was monitoring the rescue operation since last night, made the announcement at around 3am Saturday after the rescue team had pushed a high-tech camera down inside the pipe and failed to detect any human body.
The announcement came after 11-hours since the commencement of the operation for rescuing the boy who was said to have been trapped inside the pipe.
Earlier on Friday, Nasir Uddin, father of the four-year old Jihad, said his son fell into the 600-ft deep pipe at Shahjahanpur Railway Colony area while playing with his friends at around 3.30pm.
A rescue team, combining of Fire Service & Civil Defence and Dhaka WASA, begun its operation immediately after being informed.
Fire service official Major Shakil Nawaz said the hole is 400-ft deep. Later, he said it is 600-ft deep.
Food and water have reportedly been sent to the boy and oxygen was being used at the well to keep him alive. Thousands of people gathered around the accident site as some TV channels telecast the rescue operation live.
Many of the on-lookers were seen to pray for rescue of the boy.
The high-tech camera could not trace any human body in the 600-ft pipe.
The camera could pick up minute detail inside the pipe and it showed small organisms like lizard and frog and even tiny papers. The camera has the capacity to go 5000-meter under the surface.
The railways authorities put the pipe for setting up a water pump for the colony people, Major Shakil said.
"But it was left abandoned as dirty water was coming out from the pump."