Shillong, March 30: Five persons including an officer of the Forest Department have died and another two workers were rescued from a Borewell in West Jaintia Hills district, police said.

The incident took place at Lumpyrtuh Mihmyntdu village in the outskirts of Jowai town on Monday, police said.

On being informed of the incident, a special rescue operation was launched. Where Search and Rescue team from Shillong reached there and started the rescue operation. Police said upon reaching the site, a multi-story well which is approximately 30 metres deep was being constructed where seven people were trapped inside.

The incident occurred at around 2.30 pm on Monday afternoon at a house under construction located in Lumpyrtuh, Mihmyntdu about three kilometers away from DC’s Office, Jowai.

Police informed that the deceased were identified as Hamklet Suchiang (36), who is a Divisional Forest Officer in Jowai and owner of the house where the well is under construction. The others who hail from Raliang village are Bunlad Suchiang (29), Niwan Suchiang (50), Phima Dkhar (19) and Danyboi Iano (23).

The bodies were sent to IaIong Civil Hospital.

The rescued person, Minotlang Khyriam (34) is under medical attention at Woodland Hospital, Jowai and Deiwa Lyngdoh (18) was discharged from the hospital.

According to the rescue team, the persons died of suffocation due to the use of a diesel water pump during the construction work.

“On further enquiry, it is learned that the workers went inside the borewell to clean the well using a diesel-operated water pump, it is suspected that due to the emission of the smoke from the water pump the labourers must have suffocated and drowned to death,” police added.