Two suffocate to death in Karnataka borewell

Gadag (Karnataka) April 12 (IANS) Two persons suffocated to death on Wednesday after they fell into a deep dry borewell in Karnataka s Gadag district said police.

Basavaraj 32 and Shankarappa 30 got into the borewell at Savadi village at 15 feet depth to replace the casing of the pipe before re-boring it for sourcing water. As the mud caved in they plunged into the pit and were buried alive Gadag Superintendant of Police K. Santosh Babu told reporters here.

Gadag is about 350km from Bengaluru in the state s north-west region.

Rescue personnel retrieved the bodies of the victims and sent them for autopsy.

Basavaraj was the land owner s son and Sankarappa their labourer said Babu.

Police registered a case of negligence under Section 304 of the Indian Penal Code against the land owner and a contractor who was engaged to re-bore the well further as water level plunged due to acute drought in the region.

In a related development state Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced Rs 2 lakh compensation to the bereaved families.

--IANS
str/fb/vd