Four members of an ethnic minority community died after inhaling toxic gas inside an abandoned septic tank in Madhupur upazila on Saturday morning.
The incident occurred around 9:30am at Telki Jalai village in Arankhola union.
The deceased were Gabriel Nokrek, 45, and his son Ratan Nokrek, 25; Bablu Hadima, 35; and Neymar Mrong, 10. All of them are residents of Telki Jalai village.
Police and local sources said the tragedy began when a goat fell into the abandoned tank. Gabriel entered to rescue the animal but failed to respond. One after another, Gabriel and two others went in to save him, but none came out.
A Madhupur Fire Service team later recovered the four bodies.
Madhupur Police Station OC Fazlur Haque said it is suspected the victims died of suffocation due to toxic gas accumulated inside the tank. He added the actual cause will be confirmed after investigation, with legal proceedings underway.
