Erumeli: Two men lost their lives while attempting to clean a well at a public property in Erumeli, Kottayam, on Sunday. The deceased are Anish from Mukkada and Biju, an auto driver from Erumeli.

The 35-feet-deep well, owned by Thundiyil Shibu, is located near the Rotary Club in Erumeli Town. “The incident happened around 12 pm when Anish, who had descended into the well for cleaning, lost his grip on a rope due to a lack of oxygen and collapsed. Seeing this, Biju rushed in to rescue him but also lost consciousness,” said ward member P H Nasarudheen.

Erumeli police were alerted, and fire officials from the Kanjirappally fire station arrived at the scene. Both men were pulled out and taken to the Community Health Centre in Erumeli, where they were declared brought dead. After completing the inquest procedures, the bodies were shifted to the General Hospital in Kanjirappally.