5 Die in Well Trying to Save Cat

Mumbai: In a tragic incident, five people died after they entered a well to save a cat at Ahmednagar in Maharashtra. They died after inhaling toxic gases as the abandoned well was used as a biogas pit.

The incident took place on Tuesday evening in Vakadi village in Nevasa taluka of Ahmednagar district. The police pulled out the bodies between 11pm and 12.30am on Wednesday.

“Initial information suggests that a cat had fallen into an abandoned well filled with slurry of animal waste. One person entered to rescue the cat and fell into the slurry. Others went in one after the other for the rescue. Preliminary information suggests that six persons had fallen. One of them was taken out and rushed to a local hospital,” said Rakesh Ola, Superintendent of Police, Ahmednagar.

Nevasa police station’s inspector Dhananjay Jadhav said, “A rescue team recovered the dead bodies of five of the six people who jumped one after another into an abandoned well while trying to rescue a cat. The well had had animal waste stored," he said.

All six were local farmers and the condition of the rescued farmer is presently stable, he added.

The five deceased have been identified as Manik Kale (65), Manik’s son Sandeep (36), Anil Kale (53), Anil’s son Bablu (28) and Babasaheb Gaikwad (36). One person who was taken out has been identified as Manik’s younger son Vijay (35).

Police said an investigation into the matter was underway.