3 minor children die after falling into septic tank in Odisha’s Narsinghpur

By Susant Dalai

Bhubaneswar, Nov. 4: A heart-wrenching tragedy struck Ragadipada village under Badamba police limits in Narsinghpur block on Monday afternoon, when three minor children — two boys and a girl — lost their lives after falling into a septic tank.

According to reports, the children had gone to their maternal uncle’s house and were playing near an under-construction toilet area when the mishap occurred. One of them accidentally slipped into the open septic tank, prompting the other two to jump in to rescue him. Sadly, all three suffocated and died within moments.

Hearing their cries, villagers rushed to the spot and tried to save the children, but by the time help arrived, it was too late. Police and fire service personnel reached the scene soon after and recovered the bodies. The victims were taken to the nearby hospital, where doctors pronounced them dead.

“Actually, we didn’t know anything until my sister called to say her son had fallen into the septic tank and was being taken to Badamba hospital. When we arrived there, we learned that the accident had happened in Ragadipada. The children were playing near the tank when the slab they were standing on suddenly slipped, causing all three to fall inside. They couldn’t be saved,” said Ankit Kumar Nayak, a local resident.

Badamba police have launched an investigation into the incident. Post-mortem examinations are underway. Officials appealed to residents to take adequate safety measures around open or uncovered tanks and ongoing construction sites to prevent such mishaps.