BHUBANESWAR: In a tragic incident, the owner of an under-construction house and two workers allegedly died due to electrocution inside the septic tank at Gagandhuli village in Balasore district on Sunday afternoon.
The deceased have been identified as Harekrushna Das (35), the house owner, and two workers Babaji Majhi (48) and Narahari Behera (65). While Das and Majhi were natives of Gagandhuli, Behera was from Tentulia in the same district.
Police said, Das was constructing his house in the village. The centring work of the septic tank was completed about 20 days back. At around 1.30 pm, Das went inside the tank, measuring 8 ft in width and 10 ft in length, to check its status. He carried a light bulb whose wire was plugged to an electric board kept outside.
Preliminary probe suggested that the wire Das was holding fell in the water which had accumulated in the tank due to recent rains leading to his electrocution. About 15 minutes later, Majhi and Behera went inside the tank to check on Das. However, the duo too got electrocuted when they stepped in the water, said police.
One of the neighbours had seen the three entering the tank and when they did not come outside, she went there and found them lying unconscious inside. Police said the septic tank had about 2 ft deep water.
The three were rushed to Bhadrak district headquarters hospital where the doctors declared them received dead. Medical examination indicated that they died due to electrocution. “Further investigation in the matter is continuing,” Balasore SP, Raj Prasad said.