In Odisha’s Rayagada district, five die in septic tank

However, when all three failed to come out of the septic tank, three youths playing football in the neighbourhood also entered the tank “As no one came out, we raised an alarm and brought a mini excavator to remove the heavy slab covering the surface”, said a villager.

Five persons were found dead, while one, Kartika Gouda, was critical and was shifted to a local hospital where he is yet to be declared out of danger. While the official postmortem results are still awaited, doctors said that the six may have inhaled noxious fumes inside the tank.

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh for families of the dead, while the district administration has announced an ex gratia of Rs 10,000 for each of the bereaved families from Red Cross fund.