Gandhinagar: A senior citizen fell into a 50-foot deep soak pit at his home in the state capital after his toilet floor caved in on Wednesday evening.

Harshad Patel, 68, from Jamiyatpura village, was in the lavatory when the ground, loosened by recent heavy rains, collapsed, causing him to fall into a septic tank. It took the Gandhinagar Fire Brigade nearly two hours to rescue him.

According to a fire brigade officer, they received a rescue call around 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday regarding a man trapped in a soak pit. Patel had entered the lavatory when the ground in front of it gave way. His family called emergency services after they were unable to pull him out on their own.

Gautam Patel, the chief fire officer in charge, stated that while there wasn’t much water in the pit, Patel was suffocating due to the sludge. The rescue team provided him with an oxygen supply and a helmet to protect his head and face from the sludge. A rope was thrown into the pit, which Patel secured around himself to be pulled out safely. The entire rescue operation took close to two hours. Harshad was then transported to a nearby hospital, where his condition is stable, though he is suffering from a respiratory infection and minor injuries. DeshGujarat