Chhattisgarh: Man, two sons among five dead after inhaling suspected toxic gas inside well
Janjgir-Champa (PTI): Five people, including a man and his two sons, died due to suspected inhalation of poisonous gas inside an unused well in Chhattisgarh's Janjgir-Champa district on Friday, police said.
Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai expressed grief over the incident that occurred in Kikirda village under the Birra police station area in the morning.
He also announced a financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh to the kin of each deceased.
A team from the state disaster response force (SDRF) fished out the bodies from the well, they said.
Ramchandra Jaiswal (60), Ramesh Patel (50), his two sons Rajendra (20) and Jitendra (25), and Tikeshwar Chandra (25) have died in the incident, Inspector General of Police (Bilaspur Range) Sanjeev Shukla said.
As per preliminary information, Jaiswal entered the 30-foot deep well on the premises of his house to retrieve a wooden strip that had fallen in, he said.
When Jaiswal fainted, his wife shouted for help, following which three others from the Patel family in the neighbourhood entered the water body, he said.
When none of them came out, Chandra entered the well, but he also fell unconscious, prompting locals to alert the police, the official said.
Prima facie, it appears that the men died after inhaling some poisonous gas inside the well. However, the exact cause of the deaths will be known after the autopsy, an official from the district administration said.
"The first man (Jaiswal) entered the well, and after inhaling some poisonous gas, he fell into the water and died. Four others entered the well to save him and lost their lives," he said.
The SDRF team has retrieved the bodies, and they have been sent for post-mortem, he said.
Under provisions of the Revenue Book Circular, compensation will be provided to their kin, and other financial assistance will also be extended, he added.
In a post in Hindi on 'X', the chief minister said, "Received information about the tragic death of five people after coming in contact with poisonous gas in a well in Kikirda village of Janjgir. I announce a financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh to the kin of each deceased."
The state government is ready to provide all possible assistance to the affected families, he said.
According to official sources, the old ring well had not been used for around four months since Jaiswal had dug a borewell in his house.
The well was around 30 feet deep and had water up to 5 feet, they said.
The owner had used wooden strips to cover the opening of the well, and following thunderstorms and rains in the area in the last few days, one of the strips had fallen in, they said.
Sources said the well was unused for a long time and was covered, resulting in the emission of toxic gas.
VIDEO | Five people lost their lives as they drowned after inhaling gas leaked inside a well in Chhattisgarh’s Champa. More details are awaited.
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) July 5, 2024
(Full video available on PTI Videos - https://t.co/n147TvqRQz) pic.twitter.com/oznnI6BsPb
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French vote splits among left, center and far-right. With no majority, political paralysis threatens
Paris (AP/PTI): French voters divided their legislature among left, center and far right, with no single political faction getting even close to the majority needed for form a government. The risk of paralysis loomed Monday for the European Union's second-largest economy.
President Emmanuel Macron gambled that his decision to call snap elections would give France a “moment of clarification," but the outcome showed the opposite, less than three weeks before the start of the Paris Olympics thrusts the country on the international stage. France's main share index opened with a dip in response to the vote.
According to the second-round results tallied early Monday, a leftist coalition surged to take the most seats in parliament. Macron's centrists have the second-largest faction and the unpopular president will have to form alliances to run the government. Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally, which led in the first round of voting, came in third after political maneuvering to keep its candidates from power.
Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said he would present his resignation Monday, but could stay on through the Olympics or longer if needed. Newly elected and returning lawmakers were expected to arrive at the National Assembly to begin negotiations in earnest.
Macron himself will leave later in the week for a NATO summit in Washington.
Political deadlock could rattle markets and have far-ranging implications for the war in Ukraine, global diplomacy and Europe's economic stability.
According to official results released early Monday, all three main blocs fell far short of the 289 seats needed to control the 577-seat National Assembly, the more powerful of France's two legislative chambers.
The results showed just over 180 seats for the New Popular Front leftist coalition, which placed first, ahead of Macron's centrist alliance, with more than 160 seats. Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally and its allies were restricted to third place, although their more than 140 seats were still way ahead of the party's previous best showing of 89 seats in 2022.
Macron has three years remaining on his presidential term.
In announcing his resignation, Attal made clearer than ever his disapproval of Macron's shock decision to call the election, saying “I didn't choose this dissolution" of the outgoing National Assembly, where the president's centrist alliance used to be single biggest group, albeit without an absolute majority.
Rather than rallying behind Macron as he'd hoped, millions took the vote as an opportunity to vent anger about inflation, crime, immigration and other grievances — including his style of government.
The New Popular Front's leaders immediately pushed Macron to give them the first chance to form a government and propose a prime minister. The faction pledges to roll back many of Macron's headline reforms, embark on a costly program of public spending, and take a tougher line against Israel because of its war with Hamas. But it's not clear, even among the left, who could lead the government without alienating crucial allies.
“We need someone who offers consensus,” said Olivier Faure, head of the Socialist Party, which joined the leftist coalition and was still sorting out how many seats it won on Monday.
Macron warns that the left's economic program of many tens of billions of euros in public spending, partly financed by taxes on wealth and hikes for high earners, could be ruinous for France, already criticized by EU watchdogs for its debt.
A hung parliament is unknown territory for modern France.
Despite the uncertainty, supporters on the left cheered in Republique plaza in eastern Paris when the first results came in, with people spontaneously hugging strangers and several minutes of nonstop applause.
Marielle Castry, a medical secretary, was on the Metro in Paris when projected results were first announced.
“Everybody had their smartphones and were waiting for the results and then everybody was overjoyed," said the 55-year-old. “I had been stressed out since June 9 and the European elections. … And now, I feel good. Relieved.”
The political agreement between the left and center to block the National Rally was largely successful. Many voters decided that keeping the far right from power was more important to them than anything else, backing its opponents in the runoff, even if they weren't from the political camp they usually support.
“Disappointed, disappointed,” said far-right supporter Luc Doumont, 66. “Well, happy to see our progression, because for the past few years we've been doing better.”
National Rally leader Le Pen, who was expected to make a fourth run for the French presidency in 2027, said the elections laid the groundwork for “the victory of tomorrow.”
Racism and antisemitism marred the electoral campaign, along with Russian disinformation campaigns, and more than 50 candidates reported being physically attacked — highly unusual for France.
Unlike other countries in Europe that are more accustomed to coalition governments, France doesn't have a tradition of lawmakers from rival political camps coming together to form a majority. France is also more centralized than many other European countries, with many more decisions made in Paris.
