Pramod Waghchaure, one of the deceased firemen, was a competitive swimmer. KDMC has ordered an inquiry into the incident.
Five men, including two firemen, drowned in a well at Netivali in Kalyan on Thursday. Families of the firemen say the Kalyan Dombivali Municipal Corporation (KDMC) had not equipped them with proper safety kits. Pramod Waghchaure, one of the deceased firemen, was a competitive swimmer. KDMC has ordered an inquiry into the incident.
"I can't believe my brother drowned," says Jagdish, Promod's brother. "He was a swimming champion. He drowned because he was entrapped by the muck in the well."
It is not clear what killed the other four — fireman Ananta Shelar (48), Kamlesh Yadav (22), Gunwantgiri Goswami (53) and his son Rahulgiri Goswami (28). The firemen were called to rescue Yadav and the Goswamis.
Kishore Goswami, a relative of the deceased, says Yadav was hired to clean the well, which is more than 70 years old. The water had turned murky and begun to reek.
Yadav climbed down at around 1.15 pm and was seen shivering. He cried for help, and both Rahul and Gunwant went in, one after the other, to help him. But soon, all three began shouting for help and the fire brigade was called.
"We were told that it seemed like the men were being electrocuted. So we immediately asked the electricity provider to disconnect power supply to the area," says Prasad Thakur, public relations officer, KDMC.
Both the firemen climbed down. "They were pulled underwater by one of the men, and died," says Padmakar Shelar, Anant's younger brother.
The inconsolable family members refused to claim the bodies of their loved ones until KDMC commissioner Govind Bodke came to the spot. They demanded that relatives of the firemen be given jobs in KDMC on compassion grounds. Bodke said an inquiry has been instituted and the kin would be offered jobs.
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