Three young men suffocated to death

The deceased included two brothers and another youth while condition of the fourth youngster is said to be critical

FAISALABAD: Three young men lost their lives after inhaling poisonous gases in a manhole near their house in Bilal Park, Faisalabad on Sunday.

The deceased included two brothers and another youth while the condition of the fourth youngster is said to be critical. According to police, in the Bilal Park area of the city, Muhammad Ishfaq, 27, went into the sewage to open a blocked line. However, when he did not return, his friends became worried and another resident of the area, Ijaz Ahmed, 22, also went into the manhole.



When Ahmed didn't return, his younger brother Shahzad Ahmed, 20, went to save his elder brother's life. Later, another young man, Mazhar, 26, also went to save his friends but he didn't return either.

Police, Rescue 1122 and Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) officials reached the spot and recovered the bodies. Muhammad Ishfaq was pronounced dead on the spot, while the other three were shifted to the Allied Hospital, Faisalabad.

The two brothers were pronounced dead at the hospital while the condition of the fourth victim named Mazhar is said to be critical. According to the doctors, the youth died because of inhaling poisonous gases in the sewage line.

"The youth were illegally trying to connect their residence's sewerage line to the main line of the area and died because of the poisonous gases in the main line," claimed WASA spokesperson.



He added that the department had not received any complaint of sewerage line blockage from the area. WASA Chairman Irfan Manan has ordered an immediate inquiry of the incident.

The families of the deceased blocked the Akbar Abad Chowk by placing the dead bodies on the main road. The families demanded a case be registered against the officials concerned of WASA. The traffic remained blocked for several hours and the families ended their sit-in after assurances from senior police officials that a case would be registered.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 25^th, 2017.