Father and Son Die After Inhaling Toxic Gas in Sowcarpet Well

A 55-year-old man and his 25-year-old son died after allegedly inhaling toxic gas while cleaning a well in the Sowcarpet area of Chennai on Wednesday.

The deceased were identified by the Elephant Gate police as Ravi and his son R Ayyanar. Both were residents of Kodungaiyur and were regularly employed to clean wells across various parts of the city.

According to the police, the duo had visited a house belonging to a resident named Prashanth in Sowcarpet on Wednesday to desilt a 45-feet-deep well on the premises.

Ravi was the first to descend into the well to begin the cleaning work. Shortly after entering, he allegedly inhaled toxic gas inside the deep well and collapsed.

Seeing his father lose consciousness, Ayyanar climbed down into the well in an attempt to rescue him. However, Ayyanar also inhaled the hazardous fumes and collapsed alongside his father.

Upon noticing what had happened, the house owner immediately alerted the local police and the Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Services Department for emergency assistance.

Personnel from the Fire and Rescue Services Department arrived at the spot and retrieved both men from the well. The father and son were rushed to the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital, where doctors declared them brought dead on arrival.

The bodies were subsequently sent for postmortem examination. The Elephant Gate police have registered a case regarding the incident and an investigation is currently underway.