Malda: 2 dead, one injured after inhaling toxic gas

Malda: A tragic accident claimed the lives of two construction workers and left another critically ill after they inhaled toxic gas inside an underground water reservoir in the Mahanandapally area of Ward 22 of English Bazar Municipality around 4 pm on Saturday.

The deceased, Asit Mondal (25) and Ujjwal Mondal (28), were brothers from the Bagbari area in English Bazar. The injured worker, Amal Mondal from Karamonigram, is currently undergoing treatment at Malda Medical College and Hospital.

According to eyewitnesses, the incident occurred while the workers were dismantling the wooden shuttering of a newly-constructed reservoir. “One worker collapsed inside and the others followed to help him, but they too fell unconscious,” said a local resident.Shankar Sarkar, the night guard of the building, rushed to rescue them. “I tied a cloth over my face and climbed down.

The smell inside was unbearable. Somehow, I pulled all three out, but even I began feeling sick afterward,” he said. Councillor Chaitali Ghosh Sarkar, who oversees Ward 22, remarked: “This is a heartbreaking incident. We extend our deepest condolences to the bereaved families.”