Four persons of Thoovar village near Mazhaiyur in the district, who got into a well on Sunday, died of asphyxiation. The villagers stepped into the well, one after another, to rescue a goat that fell into it.
P. Soundarajan (45) first went into the well, followed by Rangasamy (55), K. Ayyavu (45) and V. Peramaiah (55). As none of them surfaced for quite sometime, the neighbours grew suspicious and alerted the Fire and Rescue Service Department and the police.
Fire Service personnel from Karambakudi who descended up to 20 feet below, noticed a discharge of some poisonous gas from the well. They pumped out the water before retrieving the bodies.
The Mazhaiyur police have registered a case and are investigating.