GUWAHATI: Three persons, including two daily-wage labourers, died in Assam's Goalpara district after accidentally falling into a septic tank on Friday morning, May 29, police said.
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The incident happened in the Goraimari area under Agia Police Station at around 9:30 am when the owner of the property, Josok Rabha (40), along with two labourers, started cleaning an old septic tank, officials said.
Goalpara Additional Superintendent of Police (Headquarters) Biddyut Vikas Bora Bhuyan said four persons, including Josok Rabha, got trapped inside the tank filled with water and other substances and were initially rescued by local residents.
"All four were rushed to Goalpara Civil Hospital, where doctors declared three of them dead, while one is undergoing treatment in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) in critical condition," he said.
The deceased have been identified as Josok Rabha (40), Krishna Roy (28) and Dilip Das (28). Josok's family member, Bajpayee Rabha (25), is undergoing treatment.
"Josok was the owner of the property, while Krishna and Dilip had come from the Goalpara town area. As per the initial investigation, it appears to be an accident, but the exact cause of death will be ascertained once we receive all the medical reports," he said.
Police said they are investigating the matter further and questioning eyewitnesses to determine the circumstances leading to the incident.
"They may have died due to suffocation and lack of oxygen, as the tank was deep. Locals are claiming that there was toxic gas inside it, and we will investigate that aspect as well," an investigating officer said.