Five die after entering abandoned well to rescue cat in Maharashtra's Ahmednagar

Apr 10, 2024

Ahmednagar (Maharashtra) [India], April 10 : In a tragic incident, a rescue operation went horribly wrong in Ahmednagar's Wadki village in Maharashtra, as five people lost their lives while attempting to save a cat that had fallen into an abandoned well being used as a biogas pit.
The tragedy occurred when one of them entered the well to rescue a cat that had fallen in it and others followed suit in an effort to rescue him as he got trapped.
The deceased have been identified as Manik Govind Kale (65), Sandeep Manik Kale (36), Bablu Anil Kale (28), Anil Bapurao Kale (53) and Babasaheb Gaikwad (36).

According to senior police officer Dhananjay Jadhav of Newasa police station in Ahmednagar district, "A rescue team recovered the bodies of the five deceased who jumped one after another into the well where animal waste was stored."
He further said, "The incident took place when a cat fell in the well on Tuesday. Following this, one person entered to rescue the cat and fell into the well. Others went in one after the other for the rescue."
"After that, the sixth person, who also in an attempt to save others, entered the well with a rope tied around his waist and survived. He was injured during the rescue process. He was taken out and rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment," added the police.
The injured person was identified as Vijay Manik Kale (35).
The police suspect that the five people reportedly fell unconscious due to gas emanating from animal waste in the well.
An investigation into the matter is underway.