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Four men asphyxiate in Bogor well death-trap
Four men died in an old well Friday in Sukajaya village, Bogor, after allegedly breathing in poisonous chemicals
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Four men died in an old well Friday in Sukajaya village, Bogor, after allegedly breathing in poisonous chemicals.
According to an official, they likely died after inhaling carbon monoxide (CO) and sulphur for an extended period of time.
Old wells often emit poisons such as CO and sulphur, Muhammad Ridwan, an official at Bogor regency's mining agency, said Saturday.
"Those kinds of chemicals can make people feel faint. When inhaled for a long time, they can cause death," Ridwan was quoted as saying by kompas.com.
"We will hold a meeting and perhaps visit the site to check whether the well is, in fact, emitting such chemicals," he added.
The four Jonggol residents found dead in the well Friday night were identified as Agus Arifin, 22, Wahyudin, 24, Yani, 22, and Adim Suryana, 25.
The incident began at noon on Friday when local residents attempted to drain the public well, whose water had become murky and foul-smelling. Agus Arifin was the first to descend the eight-meter-deep well using a rope tied to a pole.
Close to the bottom, Agus nearly collapsed, waving his hand and calling for help. Wahyudin rushed into the well using the same rope, to provide assistance, before succumbing in a similar manner near the bottom.
Those outside the well began to panic, calling to Agus and Wahyudin to grab onto the rope while they attempted to pull them out; however, the men at the bottom were already very weak.
Impatient, Yani entered the well and also began to feel faint, followed by Adim, who was next in the succession of victims.
After witnessing what happened to the four men, residents ran to the nearby Jonggol Police station. An officer who rushed to the scene could do little to help, as he lacked the proper equipment.
Jonggol Police called for a search and rescue team from PT Semen Cibinong, who assisted in removing the bodies from the well at 8:00 p.m. Friday.
