A tragic well-cleaning operation at Manpurpatana village under Aul police station limits in Kendrapara district claimed one life and left two others critically injured on Tuesday morning.
Workers began cleaning a well belonging to Sukanta Parida when, after removing a few buckets of water, those inside stopped responding. Chittaranjan, another worker, entered the well to rescue them but also became unresponsive. His son then descended to save him and fell unconscious as well.
Locals rushed to the spot after hearing cries for help and tried to rescue the trapped workers using ropes before alerting the fire services. Fire personnel arrived promptly and pulled the victims out.
Doctors at Aul Community Health Centre declared one worker dead on arrival. The other two, a father and son, were shifted to Kendrapara District Headquarters Hospital in critical condition.
