50-year-old woman drowns in tank at construction site

The woman, identified by first name as Bhaagwati, was from Madhya Pradesh’s Chattarpur and had been living at under construction building for over six months with her husband.

A 50-year-old woman died after allegedly drowning in a water tank at an under construction building in Sector 46 Wednesday morning. Police said the woman was fetching water from the tank when she allegedly slipped and fell in the tank, which was about six feet full.

Seema, the daughter of the victim, points to a water tank in an under construction house in Sector-46, where her mother drowned, in Gurugram, India, on Wednesday, July 10, 2019. (Photo by Parveen Kumar/Hindustan Times)

The woman, identified by first name as Bhaagwati, was from Madhya Pradesh’s Chattarpur and had been living at under construction building for over six months with her husband, who works as the plot’s security guard, and children.

Police said the incident was reported after a car cleaner, who came to the colony around 7.30am, went to the tank to get a bucket of water. He noticed the woman’s body floating on the surface of the water and alerted her son, who was asleep in their hut. With the help of locals, she was pulled out of the tank and taken to a hospital where she was declared dead on arrival. Her slippers were also found floating in the water tank and some construction material, including some bricks, lay about one metre from the tank.

Shahid Ahmed, station house officer (SHO), Sector 50 police station, said prima facie, probe had revealed that the woman had gone to relieve herself and had been taking out the water from the tank when she allegedly slipped and drowned.

“So far, the woman’s family has not alleged negligence or given any statement against the plot owner. No case has been registered,” the SHO said.

Police have initiated inquest proceedings under Section 174 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.

Her daughter, Seema, said her mother often suffered from seizures and it is possible she suffered one this morning too. “My brother was asleep at the time and did not hear anything. She must have tried calling for help as she did not know how to swim. My father and other siblings had gone to our native village in Madhya Pradesh on Monday to attend a cousin’s wedding and only my brother was at home,” Seema, who lives in Noida, said.

A neighbour, requesting anonymity, said the women had met her in the morning before the incident. “She wished me good morning while I was returning from a walk. She had been engaged in domestic chores at the time. Half an hour later, the car cleaner in the area informed us that she had drowned. We alerted the police immediately,” the neighbour said.