NEW DELHI, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Three farmers were killed and one went missing after they inhaled poisonous gas inside a manhole of a drainage line in western Indian state of Maharashtra, officials said Wednesday.
The farmers were trying to draw water for their crops from the pipeline at Chikalthana area of Aurangabad district, about 348 km northeast of Mumbai, the capital city of Maharashtra.
"We have pulled out six people in unconscious state, out of which three succumbed and three were hospitalised," Ajay Choudhary, a disaster management official in Aurangabad told Xinhua over telephone. "There is information that seven people had entered the manhole and search for the missing person is still underway."
According to Choudhary, one farmer entered the drainage line on Monday afternoon reportedly looking for water level. When he did not return after a while, three other farmers entered the chamber to check on him.
"After realizing that they too are not coming out, another three went inside," Choudhary said. "They had inhaled poisonous gas from the drainage line and got suffocated. It is then only locals realized something went wrong and they alerted fire department officials and administration, who launched the rescue operation."
Locals said a drought like situation is prevalent in the area and farmers use motors to draw water from the drainage line of Sukhna river to irrigate their fields.
Agriculture has suffered a huge set back in recent years in India due to unfavourable weather conditions like drought and flooding.
