Tragic Family Drowning in Chhattisgarh: Suspected Toxic Gas Inhalation in Well

A man and his daughter were among four family members who drowned in a well in Chhattisgarh's Korba district due to suspected inhalation of poisonous gas. The incident follows a similar tragedy in Janjgir-Champa district. Authorities are investigating the exact cause of death.

A man and his 16-year-old daughter were among four family members who tragically drowned in a well, likely due to inhalation of poisonous gas, in Chhattisgarh's Korba district on Friday, police reported.

The heart-wrenching incident took place in Jurali village within the Katghora police station jurisdiction. It comes just hours after a similar occurrence in the Janjgir-Champa district, where five people, including a man and his two sons, succumbed to suspected toxic gas inhalation.

According to Korba Superintendent of Police Siddharth Tiwari, Jahru Patel (60), his daughter Sapina, and two other family members, Shivcharan Patel (45) and Manbodh Patel (57), lost their lives. Jahru fell into the well while working on his farm around 1 pm, prompting his daughter to attempt a rescue. When neither emerged, two additional family members entered the well and subsequently fell unconscious.

Local police and state disaster response force (SDRF) personnel were promptly alerted and are currently working to retrieve the bodies. 'Prima facie, it appears that there was some toxic gas inside the well that caused the victims to suffocate and drown. However, the exact cause of death will be known after investigation,' Tiwari said.

In response to the tragic incident, Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai expressed profound grief and directed the district collector to offer financial assistance of Rs 4 lakh for the kin of each of the deceased in Korba.

This incident mirrors another earlier in the day in the neighboring Janjgir-Champa district, which saw five fatalities under similar harrowing circumstances.

(Disclaimer: With inputs from agencies.)