Rajasthan: 5 die of asphyxiation while repairing pump inside 20-ft-deep tank

Jaipur: Five people died allegedly due to asphyxiation while repairing a pump inside a 20 ft deep tank in Rajasthan's Alwar district on Sunday, police said.

All victims are suspected to have inhaled toxic fumes inside the tank of a cardboard factory located in the Khuskhera police station area of Alwar, they said.

The dead include the factory owner as well, officials said.

One of the men first entered the tank to repair the pump and raised an alarm, following which four others, including the factory owner, rushed to his rescue but they too met with the same fate, Assistant Sub Inspector Kailash Chand Jat said.

He said all five were taken to a hospital in Alwar, where they were declared "brought dead" by the doctors.

The deceased were identified as Raju Bareda (23), Ram Murti (25) and Vikas Bareda (18) of Murena district in Madhya Pradesh, Ramlakhan Saini (18) of Dausa district and factory owner Vijendra Singh (40), Jat said.

The bodies would be handed over to the families after postmortem, he added.