Four people, including a woman and her son, died after falling into a septic tank in Antla village of Mohanpur in West Bengal’s Paschim Medinipur district on Wednesday, with police suspecting that toxic gas accumulated inside the long-covered tank caused the deaths.
According to local residents and police sources cited by Sangbad Pratidin, the incident occurred while Badi Mallik was working on a newly constructed septic tank at his sister Sarjina Bibi’s house. He reportedly fell into the deep tank during the work and lost consciousness soon afterwards.
Sarjina Bibi entered the tank in an attempt to pull her brother out, but also fell inside. Her son, Sheikh Rabiul, then climbed into the tank to rescue his mother. He too became unconscious after being exposed to the gas, according to the report.
A local relative, Sheikh Saheb, went into the tank during the rescue effort and also lost consciousness. Another local resident, Sheikh Abukalam, entered the tank as people gathered at the site after hearing cries for help. He was later brought out alive but was reported to be seriously ill and undergoing treatment at a local hospital.
Villagers eventually rescued five people from the tank, reportedly tying cloth over their faces while entering the structure. They were taken to a nearby hospital, where doctors declared Badi Mallik, Sarjina Bibi, Sheikh Rabiul and Sheikh Saheb dead. Sheikh Abukalam remained under treatment.
Mohanpur police reached the site after the incident and began an investigation. The bodies were sent for post-mortem examinations. Police suspect that poisonous gas had accumulated inside the septic tank because it had remained covered for a long period, but the cause of death will be formally established through the investigation and medical examination.
The incident highlights the immediate danger of entering enclosed sewage and septic-tank structures without checking air quality, ventilation and rescue conditions. In this case, each successive rescue attempt appears to have exposed additional people to the same hazardous environment, according to the account from local and police sources.
The police investigation and post-mortem examinations are the next official steps in determining the precise circumstances of the deaths and the nature of the gas exposure.
