Looking for football, 3 boys in Tripura fall in well, die

Three boys, aged between 10 and 17 years, died when they fell into a deserted well in a remote village in Tripura, the police said here on Sunday.

"Three young boys while looking for their football suddenly fell into a deserted well and died on the spot. The abandoned well was covered with weeds and various other wild plants," a police official said.

The police official quoting the doctors said that the boys died after inhaling poisonous gas inside the well.

The incident took place at remote Chawmanu village, 120 km north of the Agartala state capital, in northern Tripura late on Saturday.

According to the police, some youths were playing football in a school ground when the ball skidded off the field into what the players believed was an outcrop of weeds. Looking for the lost ball, the three boys accidentally fell into the abandoned well, and died.

They were identified as Bratajoy Ashlong, 16, Dhahari Tripura, 10, and Harendra Tripura, 17. Bratajoy as a member of the Tripura team was to take part in the next national athletic meet.

--IANS

sc/sm/vt