According to the villagers, a gas leak from a biogas plant near the tank may have been the cause.
An elderly woman and her two sons died of suffocation in an underground water tank which was under construction in Haldwani in Uttarakhand’s Nainital district, police said on Wednesday.
According to the police, the incident occurred on Tuesday evening in Manpur village in Gaulapar area.
Dharmendra Bisht, 44, had descended into the underground water tank, which was under construction in his field, to remove the shuttering, but he collapsed inside after losing consciousness. When Dharmendra did not emerge for a long time, his younger brother, Khushal Singh Bisht, 38, went into the tank to check on him but also collapsed.
When there was no response from either son, Saraswati Devi, 65, also climbed down the tank and subsequently collapsed.
Alerted by the family’s cries for help, villagers rushed to the scene. They managed to pull everyone out by breaking a section of the tank and immediately rushed them to Sushila Tiwari Hospital, where doctors declared all three dead.
According to the villagers, a gas leak from a biogas plant near the tank may have been the cause.
Sushila Tiwari Hospital Medical Superintendent Arun Joshi said that toxic gases like methane and hydrogen sulfide often accumulate in enclosed tanks, potentially leading to suffocation.
However, the exact cause of death will only be confirmed following a post-mortem.
Haldwani Superintendent of Police (City) Manoj Katyal said that an investigation into the matter has been initiated. He added that the police have sealed the site, and a forensic team will collect evidence.
