Three men die of suffocation during water rank repair in Narol

Three men lost their lives due to suffocation while carrying out repair work in a water tank and adjacent soak pit near the Cozy Hotel in Narol.

According to police sources, the incident occurred at Vrundavan Society, where the water tank and soak pit were located side by side. Initially, the house owner climbed into the tank around noon on Monday to carry out repairs and excavations. When he failed to emerge for a long time, two neighbours descended into the tank to assist him. However, all three fell unconscious due to the lack of oxygen and subsequently died.

Fire officials stated that " the local residents managed to retrieve the body of one of the deceased, while the fire brigade recovered the other two". Narol police have registered a case of accidental death and launched further investigations. Preliminary findings suggest that the deaths were caused by suffocation.

The deceased have been identified as 45-year-old Rambhajan Sharma, who lived at house number 130 in Vrundavan Society with his family, 19-year-old Rishiraj Verma, and Bhupendra Singh Rajput, both neighbours of the family. Police said the tragedy unfolded when the soak pit overflowed and needed to be drained. Rambhajan first entered the water tank to carry out repairs, but when he did not come out, Rishiraj went in after him. When Rishiraj also failed to return, Bhupendra Singh descended to help, only to suffer the same fate.

Ahmedabad Fire and Emergency officials reached the spot with four fire engines and conducted a rescue operation, ultimately recovering the bodies of the two remaining victims. Narol police have sent the bodies for post-mortem examinations and are continuing their investigation.

HD Sodha, in-charge police inspector of Narol police station, stated, “Preliminary investigation has revealed that as there was a drainage issue in the soak pit adjacent to the disused water tank, they were attempting to enlarge it by breaking the common wall between the tanks. We believe they may have died due to suffocation from the gases, but the exact cause will be confirmed once the FSL reports are received.”