Five people died in a well in Chhattisgarh’s janjgir-Champa district on Friday. The deceased are suspected to have inhaled toxic gas inside the well that resulted in their deaths. The chief Minister of the state, Vishnu Deo Sai, reportedly, expressed his grief over the deaths on Friday. He took to his social media handle on X to extend his deepest condolences to the families of the deceaased. His post read, “The news of the death of five villagers due to an accident in a well in the village of Kikirda of Jangir district is very unfortunate. I pray to God to grant peace to the departed souls and strength to the bereaved family to bear this immense sorrow. Om Shanti.”
According to reprts, three amongst the five people who died in the well belonged to the same family, a man and his two sons.
The Sub-divisional officer of the Janjgir Champa district, Yadumani Sidar, stated that the Birra and Tehlsidar police along with the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) team, had promptly rushed to the spot after they receied the information about the incident. He added that a team from the State disaster Response Force (SDRF) from Bilaspur had successfully retrieved the bodies of the deceased from the well.
The SDPO also stated that a forensic team was immidiately deployed at the site and is currently present at the scene of the incident.
The SDPO, Janjgir-Champa, further recalled the details of the incident that had taken place at around 7:30 in the morning on Friday. He mentioned that a man who was identified as Ramchand Jaiswal had entered the well on the premises of his house in order to retrieve a strip of wood that had fallen into it. According to the the SDPO, the well had been shut for several months and Jaiswal was getting it cleaned.
“When Jaiswal did not come back up, family members raised a hue and cry and neighbours gathered and four of them turn by turn entered the well to help him. All of them also did not return,” the SDPO said.
The others who died in the well have been identified as Jaiswal’s neighbour, Ramesh Patel and two of his sons Rajendra and Jitendra and the fifth deceased person has been identified was another neighbour Tikesh Chandra.
“It is suspected that there could be some poisonous gas inside the well. Details will become clear after the forensic and SDRF team investigate,” SDPO, Janjgir-Champa said.
“The State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) has reached the incident spot along with the Tehsildar and Birra. They are further investigating on the case. It is being suspected that the deaths occurred due to a poisonous gas leak,” he said.
