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15+ heroes work against the clock to rescue 4-year-old boy trapped in well for 6 hours
the rescue team found themselves in a tricky and delicate situation to try and reach the boy before it was too late.
Ma Fatima Garcia
12.21.20

“Pit was only 8-10 inches in diameter. It’s a Christmas miracle!” – City of Mission, TX

A 4-year old boy from Garceno, Texas, accidentally fell into a well in the said location. What happened was devastating, a parent’s worst nightmare.

Pixabay
Source:
Pixabay

Can you imagine your baby, your child, falling into a well and be trapped there for six long hours? That boy, whose identity is to remain private, was brave, he was there for six hours, yet he remained calm until he was saved.

According to the tweet from City of Mission, TX, the pit or well hole was only 8-10 inches in diameter and was about 44 feet deep.

Pixabay
Source:
Pixabay

The child must have been terrified. City of Mission, TX assistant fire Chief Robert Alvarez was one of the witnesses and one of the people who tirelessly worked to save the boy. According to him, the successful rescue was a group effort.

“In the Valley we respond as a region for a lot of things, and we help each other out,” he said to The Monitor.

“Fire departments were key in this, but our law enforcement partners and our emergency medical providers played a big role, because although they weren’t trained we had all kinds of law enforcement, DPS, game wardens, picking up a shovel and helping us move dirt around.”

Efrain Garcia / Facebook Photo
Source:
Efrain Garcia / Facebook Photo

He also added that his department received help from the Starr County Sheriff’s Office and even from the La Rosita Fire Department.

Upon arriving at the scene, people were already digging.

“We had to reevaluate how they were digging and stop that and just started using hand shovels to continue, until we got our resources on scene to continue with the rescue,” he said, making sure that their efforts didn’t go to waste.

City of Mission, TX / Twitter Photo
Source:
City of Mission, TX / Twitter Photo

It was a delicate situation and all the manpower that they could get greatly helped the situation. However, they needed to act as one to be able to execute a plan. Sticking to the rescue plan would make sure that they could rescue the boy without harm.

In his assessment, it looked like a shaft rather than a well. As they were working on digging, they were also talking to the boy. The young boy could hear them, and keeping him updated re-assured the boy that people were working together to get him out.

City of Mission, TX / Facebook Photo
Source:
City of Mission, TX / Facebook Photo

Everyone was nervous. They were working against time. He was such a tiny boy, and anything could happen. They had to make this work; they promised the young boy that he would be alright.

City of Mission, TX / Facebook Photo
Source:
City of Mission, TX / Facebook Photo

Fire Chief Robert Alvarez recalls, “Adrenaline’s rushing. The stress… Like with anything else, we want to make sure we could do this as quickly but also as safely as possible for everybody, so it’s tense moments, but yeah, it was a very big relief when we were able to get him out of that hole.”

A video showed people clapping as one of the men pulled the boy out of the pit, then he handed him over to another rescuer, and then to another, keeping him safe as they lifted him.

City of Mission, TX / Facebook Photo
Source:
City of Mission, TX / Facebook Photo

We could also hear the boy talking; he was not crying because he knew he was already safe. He trusted the men who promised him that they would save him.

The boy was then transported by helicopter to a nearby hospital. According to the Starr County Sheriff’s Office, the boy is okay and is in stable condition.

City of Mission, TX / Twitter
Source:
City of Mission, TX / Twitter

“Last night proved to be a testament of our community and neighboring communities’ unity and sincere concern for each other,” Sheriff Rene “Orta” Fuentes wrote in his statement the following day. “Through prayers and actions from everyone involved a little boy lives today.”

He then thanked all the people who were there to help, to the almost two-dozen people and groups who worked together to save the boy.

City of Mission, TX / Twitter
Source:
City of Mission, TX / Twitter

Last December 10, the City of Mission, TX posted a tweet that said:

“The incredible moment rescuers pulled out a 4-yr-old boy that fell into a well hole in Garceño. So proud of our Mission firefighters & all 1st responders that rescued the child after 6 long hrs. Pit was only 8-10 inches in diameter. It’s a Christmas miracle!”

City of Mission, TX / Facebook Photo
Source:
City of Mission, TX / Facebook Photo

It was indeed a miracle. Something that we can all celebrate, a Christmas miracle – a boy’s life was saved by these amazing people who didn’t stop until they pulled him out of that pit.

Watch the breathtaking rescue video and do not forget to share this with everyone.




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