Villagers suffocate in 27 metre deep water well

Peter Matika, [email protected]
THE Bulawayo Fire Brigade and Rescue Services, in collaboration with the Hwange Local Board Fire and Rescue Services, have retrieved bodies of two villagers who died from inhaling toxins from explosives in a 27 metre deep water well.
The teams retrieved the bodies after a 24-hour long rescue operation.

The bodies, according to Hwange Local Board Communications Officer Mr Dumisani Nsingo were in a decomposing state as they had been trapped under water for the duration of the rescue operation.
“I can confirm that our Fire and Rescue team led by Chief Fire Officer Mbuso Nkomo responded to a call at around 1500 hours on Monday from Lupane where it was said two villagers were trapped in a 27 feet deep well in Jotsholo. The team arrived at the scene at 1800 hours,” said Mr Nsingo.
He said investigations revealed that the two, among a group of villagers, allegedly threw explosives into the well in an effort to deepen it.
“In an effort to check if the well’s depth had increased, one of the villagers was lowered into the water source. However, realising that he was not responding to calls to secure himself with the rope so as to tug him up to the surface, another villager was lowered and he too didn’t respond to calls after a few minutes,” said Mr Nsingo.
He said that is when villagers rushed made a police report.
“A call was then made to Hwange Local Board’s Fire and Rescue team. It is strongly suspected that the villagers are likely to have been affected by fumes from the explosives,” said Mr Nsingo.