Four people died after inhaling a poisonous gas in an under-construction well in Chhattisgarh’s Janjgir-Champa district on Wednesday, police said.
The incident took place in the morning at a farm in Dhamni village under Hasaud police station limits, located around 200km from the State capital Raipur.
According to preliminary information, the farm owner, Hemant Ratre, went inside the under-construction well to clean it and fell unconscious, a local police official said.
As he did not come out, his wife, who was present at the farm, shouted for help following which three other locals rushed there and entered the well to rescue him.
When all the four men did not come out, the woman alerted other villagers who informed the police.
The four victims were later taken out of the well and rushed to a hospital in nearby Jaijaipur town where doctors declared them dead, the official said.
“Prima facie, it seems they died after inhaling some poisonous gas inside the well,” he said.
A case has been registered and further investigation is under way, he said.
The deceased were identified as Hemant Ratre (37), Nagendra Madhukar (34), his brother Mahendra Madhukar (31), and Chintamani Banjare (45), he added.
Janjgir-Champa is located around 75km from neighbouring Korba district.