Chhattisgarh: Toxic gas in wells kills nine

Nine persons, including a man and his two sons as well as a father-daughter duo, were killed on Friday in two incidents in Chhattisgarh’s Janjgir-Champa and Korba after suspected inhalation of poisonous gas inside wells, police officials said.

In Kikirda village under Birra police station limits in Janjgir-Champa, Ramchandra Jaiswal (60), Ramesh Patel (50), his two sons Rajendra (20) and Jitendra (25), and Tikeshwar Chandra (25) died, said Bilaspur Range Inspector General of Police Sanjeev Shukla. “Jaiswal entered the 30-foot deep well on the premises of his house to retrieve a wooden strip. When Jaiswal fainted, his wife shouted for help, following which three others from the Patel family in the neighbourhood entered the well. When none of them came out, Chandra entered the well. He too fell unconscious after which police was alerted,” the IG said.