Shillong: Rynjah police summoned the owner and contractor of a Lapalang apartment building today. Both face questioning over the deaths of five men trapped inside a 35-foot shaft. The well lacked ventilation and filled with lethal carbon monoxide fumes.
East Khasi Hills Superintendent of Police Vivek Syiem confirmed the duo must report to the station Monday. Authorities filed a case under the Disaster Management Act after a magistrate alleged criminal negligence.
Laborers Pynskhemlang Mawthoh, Merius Khyriem, and Briastar Kharumnuid died first. Brothers Sunil and Umesh Thakuri tried to rescue them but also perished. Neighbors heard the brothers calling out before silence fell. Sunil died en route to the hospital despite CPR efforts.
Asenla Nongrum, a local leader, highlighted the illegal design of the shaft. The narrow opening acted like a gas chamber when a diesel pump operated inside. She questioned the construction, stating, "How can people survive inside such a narrow dug-out well?"
Investigators now check if the contractor held a valid license. They want to know why a combustion engine ran in an unventilated space. The brothers were the primary income sources for their elderly parents and young children.
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