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A Village Burnt Overnight: Tears, Loss and Survival in Dhamangaon Blaze

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  Sitting amid the blackened remains of his home, 32-year-old Nikesh Gawali carefully broke open a half-melted plastic box with a screwdriver. His hands shook slightly, not out of fear, but out of hope. “I’m trying to find my daughter Aarti’s gold earrings,” he said quietly, still focused on the box. “She’s just five. I got them made recently after months of labour work.” The plastic box, warped and blackened by heat, was one of the few things left from his two-room house on the outskirts of Dhamangaon village . All around him lay ash, broken tin sheets and charred wooden beams. The walls had cracked under the heat and the front room’s tin roof had caved in completely. What remained was a blackened debris all around - almost nothing to suggest a home once stood there. Nikesh earns his living as an agricultural labourer, like many in the village. Work is uncertain and depends on the season. Those earrings weren’t just jewellery - they were a small dream, a reward for his hard work,...
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Poisonous gas in well kills six near Kondhali

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Thousands of villagers gathered at the spot. 

By Dheeraj Fartode
IN A spine-chilling incident, as many as six people who had entered a 40-ft-deep well at village Kachari Sawanga near Kondhali, died of suffocation on Tuesday morning. Two of the deceased were workers who had been assigned the work of cleaning the well while four others had got into the well to rescue them. Smoke emitted by the diesel pump fitted inside the well produced carbon monoxide which suffocated them to death.
The deceased include Sunil Namdeo Aahake (34), Bhushan Baban Manmode (29), Pramod Chintaman Sonone (26), Harishchandra Natthu Bawne (26), Jeevan Ramrao Marbate (28) and Chirkut Panjabrao Bawne (40). They were all residents of Kachari Sawanga. Amol Shivnarayan Pote (30), who was seriously injured during rescue operation, was admitted to GMCH, Nagpur.
According to Nagpur (Rural) Police, on Tuesday, Panchayat Samiti Member Ravi Jaiswal had engaged two labourers for cleaning the well in his farm. Jaiswal lowered the diesel pump with the hel of a rope so that water could be pumped out and workers could start cleaning. Around 10.30 am, the pump developed a snag. Sunil Aahake got into the well. Smoke from the pump had already started filling up the well. When Sunil failed to come out for a long time, Pramod Sonone went in. Unfortunately, the heavy presence of carbon dioxide turned fatal for the duo.
Meanwhile, suspecting that something had gone wrong, Jaiswal alarmed neighbours. Bhushan Manmode, who works for Jaiswal, got into the well and also fell prey to the gas. Youths from the village, Harishchandra Bawane, Chirkut Bawne and Jeevan Marbate were the next to entered the well and they too met the same fate. When none of the six people surfaced even after such long time, someone switched off the motor pump, but it was too late by then. Amol Pote was the only lucky person to be pulled out at the right time and was rushed to Primary Health Centre from where he was referred to GMCH.
News about the incident spread like wil and fire, hundreds of villagers gathered near the well. Staff from Kondhali Police Station led by API Bhoyar rushed to the spot. SP (Nagpur Rural) Dr Manojkumar Sharma and DySP Dr Suryabhan Ingley also visited the spot.
While speaking to The Hitavada, SP (Nagpur Rural) Dr Manojkumar Sharma said that initial investigation revealed that no safety measures were taken before commencing the de-silting work. Action would be initiated against the persons behind this negligence, he added.
Meanwhile, angry villagers set ablaze the shop owned by Jaiswal.
Fire tenders of Katol Municipal Council rushed to the spot and extinguished the fire. Team of Fire Department of Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) also reached the place and fished out the bodies from the well. All bodies were taken out by 5 pm.
Sub-Divisional Officer Pravin Mahajan, Tehsildar Rajiv Sakkarwar, Vice-president of Municipal Council Rahul Deshmukh and MNS taluka chief Dilip Gaikwad were among those who visited the spot.

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