Aul: A routine well-cleaning operation turned tragic in Kendrapara district Tuesday when toxic fumes inside a village well claimed the life of a labourer and left a father-son duo battling for survival after they entered the confi ned space in successive rescue attempts. The deceased was identified as Parikshit Singh of Demal village.
The injured, Chittaranjan Samal and his son Ramesh Samal of Manpur village, have been admitted to the District Headquarters Hospital in Kendrapara.
According to reports, the three men had been engaged to clean a well owned by Sukanta Parida of Patana village. Parikshit was the first to descend into the well and had removed several buckets of slush and muddy water when he reportedly lost consciousness due to suffocation caused by toxic fumes. When Chittaranjan, who was standing above, received no response to his calls, he entered the well to rescue Parikshit. However, he too was overcome by the fumes and collapsed. Ramesh then climbed down in an attempt to save his father, but also lost consciousness.
Alerted by their cries, villagers rushed to the spot and managed to pull Chittaranjan and Ramesh out of the well. They were initially taken to Aul Community Health Centre. Fire Services personnel later retrieved Parikshit from the well and rushed him to the same hospital, where doctors declared him dead on arrival. As the condition of Chittaranjan and Ramesh remained critical, they were referred to the District Headquarters Hospital for advanced treatment. Police have launched an investigation into the incident.
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