2 persons asphyxiated after entering abandoned well; two more undergoing treatment

Tragic incident in Thoothukudi as two persons die in abandoned well, two others rescued after developing breathlessness.

In a tragic incident on Sunday, two persons were asphyxiated after they allegedly entered an abandoned well. Two others who entered the well to rescue the duo developed breathlessness. They were later rescued, and admitted to a hospital for treatment.

Preliminary inquiries revealed that the well — three feet in diameter and 18-feet-deep — was located on the property of K. Ganesan, 60, of Thalamuthu Nagar Nehru Colony, Ananda Nagar here. The well had remained unused for years, and there was a septic tank adjacent to it. Ganesan decided to clean the well by pumping out the water using a motor, and simultaneously check for any leakage from the septic tank. However, as he was pumping the water out, along with B. Marimuthu, 36, of Arumuganeri, and two others, a bucket fell into the well, fire officials said.

Ganesan stepped into the well to retrieve the bucket, but did not return. As he was also not responding to Marimuthu’s calls, the latter stepped into the well to bring him back. However, he too got fatally trapped in the well. Soon after, two other persons — K. Pavithran and S. Jesurajan of Nehru Colony — entered the well to rescue the duo. However, they developed breathlessness midway, and cried for help, the fire officials added.

Locals and passers-by, who heard the calls for rescue, alerted the Thalamuthu Nagar police and the Fire and Rescue Services personnel.

Pavithran and Jesurajan were rescued, and rushed to the Government Medical College Hospital. The bodies of Ganesan and Marimuthu were retrieved and sent for post-mortem.

The Thalamuthu Nagar police have registered a case. The government has been repeatedly appealing to members of the public to employ licensed persons to clean septic tanks and abandoned wells, an official from the Thoothukudi Corporation said.