Nine people, including a man and his two sons, were killed Friday in separate incidents in Janjgir-Champa and Korba districts of Chhattisgarh after suspected inhalation of poisonous gas inside wells, PTI reported, citing police.
Bilaspur Range Inspector General of Police Sanjeev Shukla said Ramchandra Jaiswal, 60, and Ramesh Patel, 50, along with his sons Rajendra, 20, and Jitendra, 25, and Tikeshwar Chandra, 25, died. The incident took place in Kikirda village under Birra police station in Janjgir-Champa.
The IG said that Jaiswal entered a 30-foot deep well on his property to retrieve a wooden strip. After he lost consciousness, others attempted to rescue him, but all succumbed.
Authorities suspect toxic gas buildup, exacerbated by recent thunderstorms and rain.
Officials said that the exact cause of the deaths will be known after autopsy report.
According to some officials, the old ring well that was 30 feet deep with 5-feet water level had not been used for around four months after Jaiswal dug a borewell in his house, which may have led to accumulation of toxic gases inside.
In neighbouring Korba, Jahru Patel, 60, his daughter Sapina, 16, and two others — Shivcharan Patel, 45, and Manbodh Patel, 57 — died under similar circumstances, said Korba Superintendent of Police Siddharth Tiwari.
“As per preliminary information, Jahru fell into the well while working on his farm around 1 pm, and his daughter entered the water body to save him. When the duo did not come out, two others entered the well and fell unconscious. Prima facie, it appears there was some toxic gas inside the well that caused the victims to suffocate and drown. However, the exact cause of death will be known after investigation,” Tiwari said.
State Disaster Response Force personnel retrieved the bodies for post-mortem examinations.
Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai expressed condolences and announced a compensation of Rs 9 lakh each for the families of the deceased.