Puri: In a tragic incident, a one-and-a-half-year-old girl died after falling into an open borewell on the premises of Puri District Headquarters Hospital on Friday afternoon.

The deceased has been identified as Samayira Nayak, daughter of Ajay Nayak of Mangala Sahi in the Narendra Kona area. She had come to Rayabahadur Lane to visit her uncle’s house located near the hospital.

According to reports, a borewell had been dug at the site for the construction of a new building within the hospital campus. The borewell was reportedly left uncovered. On Friday afternoon, while playing near her uncle’s house close to the construction site, the toddler accidentally slipped into the open borewell.

Family members and locals rushed to rescue her, but she could not be saved.

The incident has triggered shock and grief in the locality. Questions are now being raised over safety measures at the construction site and whether adequate precautions were taken to prevent such accidents.