Shillong, Jul 11: Five people died of suffocation inside a well in Lapalang area of Shillong, police said on Saturday.
Among the deceased are two brothers who tried to rescue workers trapped inside the well at a private construction site in Rynjah police station area.
East Khasi Hills Superintendent of Police Vivek Syiem said the incident took place around 7.30 pm on Friday when four labourers working inside the well to pump out water got suffocated by the fumes of the generator used for the purpose.
One of the labourers managed to get out and sought help when two brothers from the neighbourhood entered the well to rescue those trapped. However, they were also overcome by the fumes and got trapped, he said.
Later, the State Rescue Team (SRT) retrieved five persons from the well and took them to North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (NEIGRIHMS), where doctors declared them brought dead.
Police have registered a case at Rynjah police station.
The exact cause of the deaths can be confirmed after the post-mortem examination report is received, he said, adding that further investigation is underway. (PTI)
