Photo Courtesy: nenow
Shillong: Five men are dead after a botched cleaning operation turned a 35-foot-deep private reservoir in Shillong’s Lapalang area into a lethal gas chamber. The tragedy unfolded on Friday evening at Dongmadan Lane 4. Four labourers were working to pump water from the structure when fumes from a diesel engine incapacitated them. One worker escaped to raise the alarm.
Two local brothers, Sunil Thakuri, 34, and Umesh Thakuri, 30, rushed to the site after hearing cries for help. They descended into the darkness to save the trapped men. Both brothers perished alongside labourers Pynskhemlang Mawthoh, 22, Rapborlang Nongspung, 35, and Elka Shadap, 25. The shaft was only three feet wide. Ventilation was non-existent.
Asenla Nongrum, the brothers' landlady, watched the final moments in horror. Before entering the well, Umesh handed her his wallet and mobile phone. “Aunty, please keep my mobile and wallet,” he said. The brothers called out to each other three times before falling silent. The State Rescue Team and State Disaster Response Force eventually recovered all five bodies.
Doctors at the North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences performed virtual autopsies via MRI and CT scans. The findings confirmed that carbon monoxide rapidly replaced oxygen in the confined space, causing near-instant collapse. Officials from the Water Resources Department noted that operating a combustion engine in such an enclosed space is fatal.
The Rynjah Police Station has registered Case No. 106(1)/2026 under the Disaster Management Act. A Sector Magistrate filed an FIR against the apartment owner and the contractor for gross negligence. Superintendent of Police Vivek Syiem confirmed both men were summoned to appear for questioning on Monday. Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner Abhilash Baranwal has ordered a district-wide survey of all private wells to identify similar hazards. Traditional headmen must now report these structures to the administration for review.
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