Two brothers die after falling into septic tank while cleaning it at Noida home

The two brothers are survived by their mother, the younger brother’s wife and his four children, including the youngest eight-month-old. Chandrabhan had separated from his wife.

Two brothers died after allegedly falling into a 7-foot-deep septic tank they were cleaning at their home in Noida’s Sector 63 Chotpur Colony on Monday morning, police said. A neighbour who jumped in to rescue them had to retreat because of the thick toxic gases inside. He is reported to be stable. The bodies of the brothers were recovered after officials broke open the reinforced cement concrete (RCC) tank using grinder machines, police added.

Within 10 to 15 minutes, a police team reached the spot along with the fire brigade and private workers to cut open the tank’s manhole. (HT Photo)

Police said the incident occurred when one of the brothers, 45-year-old Chandrabhan, slipped and fell into the tank while standing beside it. He and his younger brother, Raju, 26, had been attempting to clean the choked tank themselves, without any protective gear. The two worked as carpenters at a furniture shop in Khoda, Ghaziabad.

“Around 9am on Monday, the sewage line in their house got choked, and Chandrabhan and Raju decided to fix it on their own without calling in expert help. Chandrabhan partially opened the septic tank’s manhole after breaking the cement and brick cladding,” said a senior police officer, requesting anonymity.

“Chandrabhan was standing next to the partially open manhole on the ground floor while Raju was on the upper floor inspecting the sewage lines. Chandrabhan accidentally slipped and fell into the tank, which contained about two feet of water. Hearing his family’s screams, Raju rushed downstairs and jumped in to save his brother without taking any safety precautions,” the officer said.

“But Raju too quickly lost consciousness due to the toxic fumes and got trapped inside. When neighbours heard the commotion, one of them tried to rescue the brothers by tying a sari around his waist before entering the tank. However, the gases were too suffocating, and he had to climb out. Police were informed around 9.40am,” said Avdhesh Pratap Singh, station house officer (SHO), Sector 63.

Within 10 to 15 minutes, a police team reached the spot along with the fire brigade and private workers to cut open the tank’s manhole. “Using three to four grinder machines, the RCC tank was broken open, and the brothers were pulled out after nearly an hour of effort,” SHO Singh said.

They were rushed to a nearby private hospital in an ambulance kept on standby, but doctors there referred them to a higher facility, where both were declared dead.

“The tank was about six to seven feet deep and had stagnant water inside. The post-mortem has been conducted, and further investigation is underway,” the SHO added. No case has been registered so far.

The deceased belonged to an eight-member family, and now the two brothers are survived by their mother, the younger brother’s wife and his four children, including the youngest eight-month-old. Chandrabhan had separated from his wife.

Police said no case has been registered and no complaint has been received, as they were cleaning the septic tank inside their home without informing anyone. People are advised to call professional sanitation workers if such an issue occurs at home.