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Three persons died and one was injured on Friday morning after they accidentally fell into a septic tank while cleaning it in the Goraimari area of Assam’s Goalpara district, police said.

All four were trapped inside the tank and rescued by locals, said Goalpara additional superintendent of police (headquarters) Biddyut Vikas Bora Bhuyan.The accident happened around 9:30 am when the property owner, Josok Rabha (40), along with two labourers and a relative, was cleaning an old septic tank, officers said.

All four were trapped inside the tank and rescued by locals, said Goalpara additional superintendent of police (headquarters) Biddyut Vikas Bora Bhuyan.

“All four were taken to the Goalpara Civil Hospital, where doctors declared three of them, including Josok, dead on arrival, while one is undergoing treatment in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) in critical condition,” he said.

Police identified the deceased labourers as Krishna Roy (28) and Dilip Das (28). Josok’s family member, Bajpayee Rabha (25), is undergoing treatment.

“Josok was the property owner, while Krishna and Dilip had come from the Goalpara town area. As per the initial investigation, it appears to be an accident, but the exact cause of death will be ascertained once we receive all the medical reports,” he said.

Police are investigating the matter further and questioning eyewitnesses to determine the circumstances leading to the incident.

“They may have died due to suffocation and lack of oxygen, as the tank was deep. Locals claim there was toxic gas inside it, and we will investigate that aspect as well,” an investigating officer said.