Monday, 12 AUGUST 2024 | PNS | DEHRADUN
A couple died due to suffocation while cleaning a gobar gas tank in the Mukhani area of Haldwani on Sunday. The incident occurred when Matru Lal (40) was cleaning a gobar gas tank at a cowshed owned by Jagdish Joshi, a resident of Adarsh Nagar in Mukhani. According to the officials, Joshi told the police that after the tank was cleaned with a machine, some residual cow urine remained at the bottom. Lal entered the tank to manually clean it but became unconscious due to the toxic gases inside the enclosed space. Seeing her husband in distress, Rani (35) immediately descended into the tank to rescue him but she too fell unconscious due to the lack of oxygen. The officials said that despite efforts to rescue the couple, they were both pulled out of the tank in an unresponsive state. They were rushed to a nearby private hospital, where doctors declared them dead on arrival. According to the officials, no formal case was registered till Sunday evening but the matter is under investigation. The bodies of the deceased have been sent for post mortem examination. They also informed that the victims originally hailed from Rajau town in Badaun district in Uttar Pradesh. The incident has left their family in deep grief, particularly their three children who have now been orphaned. Many locals expressed concern over the owner who allowed the manual cleaning of the gobar gas tank despite the associated risks. However, the police said that they are conducting a thorough investigation and will take appropriate action if they find proof of any negligence or wrongdoing.
