Elderly Woman and Her Two Sons Die Inside Underground Water Tank in Uttarakhand

Elderly Woman and Two Sons Die of Suspected Suffocation Inside Underground Water Tank in Uttarakhand

An elderly woman and her two sons died of suspected suffocation inside an under-construction underground water tank in Haldwani, Uttarakhand’s Nainital district, police said on Wednesday.

The incident took place on Tuesday evening in Manpur village of the Gaulapar area.

According to police, Dharmendra Bisht (44) entered the underground water tank to remove shuttering installed during construction. However, he reportedly lost consciousness and collapsed inside the tank.

When Dharmendra did not return for a long time, his younger brother, Khushal Singh Bisht (38), entered the tank to check on him but also became unconscious.

After receiving no response from either of her sons, Saraswati Devi (65) climbed into the tank in an attempt to help them. She too lost consciousness.

Hearing the family’s cries for help, villagers rushed to the spot. They broke open a portion of the tank to rescue the three and immediately rushed them to Sushila Tiwari Hospital, where doctors declared all of them dead.

Suspected Gas Leak Under Investigation

According to local villagers, the tragedy may have been caused by a gas leak from a nearby biogas plant, although the exact cause is yet to be confirmed.

Arun Joshi, Medical Superintendent of Sushila Tiwari Hospital, said that toxic gases such as methane and hydrogen sulphide often accumulate inside enclosed tanks, creating an oxygen-deficient environment that can lead to suffocation and death if proper safety precautions are not taken.

Police have launched an investigation to determine the exact cause of the incident.