Meghalaya construction site tragedy: Workers and rescuers die in confined-space fumes

CORRESPONDENT

SHILLONG: Five people, including two brothers who rushed in to rescue trapped workers, died of suspected asphyxiation after being overcome by toxic fumes inside a well at a private construction site in Meghalaya's East Khasi Hills district on Friday evening, in a tragedy that has once again highlighted the lethal risks of confined-space work without adequate safety measures.

The incident occurred at around 7.30 p.m. at Lapalang under Rynjah Police Station limits, where four Khasi labourers were working inside a well. According to police, the labourers were suffocated by smoke from a generator being used to pump water out of the well, leading to suspected asphyxiation. One of the labourers managed to escape, while the remaining workers remained trapped inside. Two Nepali brothers from the neighbourhood then entered the well in an attempt to rescue them but were also overcome by the fumes and became trapped.

East Khasi Hills Superintendent of Police Vivek Syiem said, "Yesterday at about 7.30pm, 4 Khasi labourers working in a well in Lapalang on a private construction site under Rynjah PS were suffocated by the smoke from the generator sucking out the water." He added, "One labourer managed to escape. Two Nepali males who are brothers from the neighbourhood went to help them, but they also got stuck." He further said, "All five bodies had been retrieved by the SRT. They were taken to NEIGRIHMS but were declared brought dead."

Police have registered a case vide Rynjah Police Station Case No. 106(1)/125(a) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita read with Section 51(b) of the Disaster Management Act, 2005. The exact cause of death will be confirmed after the post-mortem examination, while investigators are probing the circumstances that led to the fatal incident.

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