Boy 'unharmed' by well ordeal
2006-07-24 18:19
New Delhi - A six-year-old Indian boy, dramatically rescued after being stuck in a well for two days, was recuperating but remained under observation in hospital, said a doctor on Monday.
Prince, who has only one name, had no serious injuries after his ordeal which transfixed millions of television viewers in India.
"Prince is doing very well," said PS Saini, chief doctor at Kurukshetra state hospital in the northern state of Haryana.
"He is okay, he suffered no physical injuries, no fractures."
Prince fell 18.2m down a well shaft while playing near his home in Kurukshetra on Friday.
He was finally pulled free on Sunday, after 50 hours underground, greeted by cheers from hundreds of onlookers.
His ordeal was caught on closed-circuit television cameras lowered into the pit by rescuers and beamed live on satellite channels across the country.
Prince spent birthday in well
The boy was in "good physical condition" as he was given glucose, water, biscuits and chocolate while under the ground, said the doctor.
"Prince is not talking very much except to his parents," he said. "His parents are with him all the time and doctors are keeping an eye on him. We expect to discharge him soon."
The crowd at the well erupted in cheers and applause on Sunday, as a rescue worker was pulled out holding the little boy, bundled up in a white sheet.
Well-wishers held up a pink poster reading "Happy Birthday Prince", and garlanded the boy before he was taken away for a medical examination.
Prince spent his sixth birthday on Saturday in the well.
Though the boy looked a little shaken and scared, he appeared unharmed.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Prince would be given full medical care.