4 die after going down into septic tank at Moulvibazar’s Sreemangal

The victims died around 2am on Thursday as they were being rushed to Moulvibazar Sadar Hospital, a hospital official says

Four people have died after they went down to try and recover a mobile phone that had fallen into a septic tank in Moulvibazar’s Sreemangal Upazila.

The incident occurred around 1am on Thursday in the Harinchhara Tea Garden area, according to Aminul Islam, chief of Sreemangal Police Station.

The dead have been identified as Rana Patnayek, 17, his brother Srabon Patnayek, 19, Krishna Rabidas, 19,and Nitesh Phulmali, 27. All of them hail from Harinchhari Tea Garden.

Rabindra Bannerjee, the son of another tea worker, has been taken ill after the incident.

Local resident Shobuj Tazu said that Rana had gone to the toilet at the West Line side of the tea garden when his mobile phone fell into the septic tank.

He called his brother and then went down into the tank to try and recover it. He did not come back up and Srabon went down after him.

Three more people – Nitesh, Krishna, and Rabindra – went down into the tank when Srabon also failed to come up.

None of them came up, prompting other workers at the tea gardens to mount a rescue. They brought the five out of the tank and rushed them to the Sreemangal Upazila Health Complex. They were then transferred from there to the Moulvibazar 250 Bed Hospital in critical condition.

A doctor there declared four of them dead. Necessary care was provided to Rabindra and he was sent to the Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital.

Binendu Bhoumik, deputy supervisor of the Moulvibazar hospital, said doctors believe the victims died due to poisoning from gas that accumulated in the tank. However, the causes of death will be determined after an autopsy.

Legal action is being taken over the incident, said Sreemangal OC Aminul.