SUKKUR: The caretaker of a Hindu temple and two two labourers drowned while cleaning a well within the temple building in Kandhra town of Rohri district on Tuesday.

The labourers, Gul Hassan Jogi, 35, son of Ghulam Hussain, and Mohammad Punjal Jogi, 33, son of Atta Mohammad, along with caretaker of the temple Haresh Kumar, 25, son of Lal Chand, were busy cleaning the old well when they suddenly fell unconscious and fell into it.

Many residents of the neighbourhood rushed into the temple after hearing a hue and cry by some people present in the temple. They believed that poisonous gas emission from the well hit the victims.

The victims were taken out of the well and rushed to the Rohri Taluka Hospital, where doctors pronounced them dead on arrival.

Relatives of the victims collected the bodies from the hospital, according to the police.

In another incident, strong currents swept away two brothers, nine-year-old Jawed, and seven-year-old Shahnawaz, sons of Imran Jatoi, while they were playing in shallow river water in Sultan Khan Jatoi village near Pannu Aqil town on Tuesday.

Some villagers present at the place jumped into the water and rescued Jawed but Shahwawaz could not be traced till the last report came in late in the evening.

Published in Dawn, August 20th, 2014