Four youths drowned in a well at Duk quarters in Pankshin town of Plateau State, on Wednesday, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported.
An eyewitness, Gonjir Goper, told NAN that the deceased – Tonzum Ngwalamba, Nentawe Leptak, Sati Tongleb and Ngompang Ngoshim – aged between 18 and 25, died while trying to push the nozzle of a water pumping machine into the well.
He said that the first victim was trying to push the nozzle when he fell into the well.
“The second victim jumped into the well to rescue the first, but did not come out. These rescue efforts continued till the four of them entered the well within a very short while,” he said.
Goper described the incident as “shocking and mysterious.”
NAN sources indicated that one of the victims was a son to the owner of the well, one Mr Lamba.
The Divisional Police Officer in charge of the area, Mr Sa’ad Ibrahim, who confirmed the incident, said that the corpses of the victims had been removed from the well and deposited at the Pankshin General Hospital.
Chairman, Interim Management Committee of Pankshin Local Government, Mr Stephen Jings, equally expressed shock at the incident which he said was unfortunate.
Jings urged parents of the victims to accept it as an act of God.
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