Man, Son Die After Inhaling Toxic Gas While Cleaning Well In Chennai

A 55-year-old man and his 25-year-old son died after inhaling suspected toxic gas while cleaning and desilting a well at a house in Chennai's Sowcarpet on Wednesday, police said.

The son entered the well in an attempt to rescue his father after he collapsed, but was also overcome by the fumes.

The deceased were identified as Ravi, 55, and Ayyanar, 25, both natives of Tiruvannamalai district.

Police said the two men had been hired by Prashanth, a businessman based in Sowcarpet, to clean a well located inside his house.

According to preliminary inquiries, Ravi climbed into the well using a temporary staircase and began removing accumulated silt. While he was working at the bottom, he reportedly inhaled noxious gas, lost consciousness and fell into the water.

Ayyanar, who was outside the well, noticed his father collapse and immediately went down to save him. However, he too inhaled the gas and fell unconscious before he could bring Ravi out.

Those present at the house alerted the police and the Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Services.

A rescue team rushed to the premises and assessed the conditions inside the well before beginning the operation.

Fire and rescue personnel wearing protective equipment then descended into the well and brought the father and son to the surface.

The rescue personnel used safety gear because of suspected presence of hazardous fumes inside the confined and poorly ventilated space.

Both men were taken by ambulance to the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital in Chennai.

Doctors who examined them declared them brought dead.

Their bodies were subsequently sent for post-mortem examination to determine the exact cause of death.

Police suspect that poisonous gas accumulated inside the poorly ventilated well and caused the two men to lose consciousness within a short period.

The exact nature of the gas, however, is yet to be established.

Elephant Gate police registered a case and began an investigation into the incident.

Investigators are examining the circumstances in which the men were engaged for the work and whether adequate safety precautions had been arranged before they entered the well.

Police are also expected to question the house owner and others who were present when the incident occurred.

Further action will be taken based on the findings of the investigation and the post-mortem reports, officials said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)