One Dead While Cleaning Sewage Well, Four Others During Rescue Ops

Visuals from Kalyan, near Thane, where a rescue operation was attempted to save five trapped in a well. 

(Photo: ANI)

A labourer engaged in cleaning a sewage well in Maharashtra's Kalyan died due to suffocation on Friday, 1 November. Four others, who went into the well in an attempt to rescue him, also died.

Additional Commissioner of Police, Pratap Dighavkar told ANI that the labourer died due to suffocation.

“A labourer entered well to clean it and died due to suffocation. Two trustees who went in to rescue the labourer also died inside. Two fire department officials who had gone into well also died during rescue operation.”

Pratap Dighavkar

"Prima facie, it appears gas collected in the well as it was closed since many days," Dighavkar said.

A sample of water has also been collected from the nearby gutter. As per preliminary information, the well was filled with some chemical waste that flowed from the gutter, an official told PTI.

The official added that the well is located adjacent to a nullah (gutter) whose water is contaminated with industrial effluent, in Netivali Lokgram area in Kalyan (East).

He said that there were three labourers who had entered the well to remove blockage that was apparently caused by the accumulated chemicals.

“However, as the labourers failed to return, the locals informed the fire brigade. Two firemen descended into the well to trace the labourers, but they also got trapped.”

Official told PTI

A team of fire brigade officials rushed to the spot on receiving the information and conducted a rescue operation, he said, adding that they recovered bodies of all the five men.

According to fire officials present at the spot, the well was filled with poisonous gas.

The identity of the deceased is being ascertained, the police official said.

All the five bodies have been taken out of the well and sent for postmortem, he said, adding that exact cause of their death is under investigation.

(Inputs from ANI, PTI)