4, including 3 brothers, suffocate to death while opening septic tank in Jharkhand

Four people, including three brothers, died of suffocation after entering a newly constructed septic tank in Nawada village, Garhwa district, on Friday. The incident took place when the men went inside the tank one after another to open shutterings during the construction of a house.

The deceased were identified as Ajay Chaudhary (50), Chandrashekhar Chaudhary (42), and Raju Shekhar Chaudhary (55) — all brothers — and a labourer, Maltu Ram. According to officials, Maltu Ram entered the tank first to open the shuttering but did not come out. The three brothers then entered one by one to check on him, but none returned.

Garhwa Sub-divisional Police Officer Neeraj Kumar said the men became stuck inside the tank, which was newly built, while attempting to clean planks after the shuttering was removed. Nearby villagers noticed they were missing and, after considerable effort, pulled all four men out of the tank.

The victims were rushed to Garhwa Sadar Hospital, where doctors declared them dead on arrival. Deputy Superintendent at the hospital, Mahroom Yamini, confirmed that the bodies were sent for post-mortem examination to determine the cause of death.

DIG (Palamu Range) Naushad Alam stated that a team has been formed to investigate the incident. Officials have urged caution in similar situations, as enclosed tanks can contain toxic gases that pose severe risks to those entering without safety measures.