A 42-year-old mentally challenged man died by drowning in a well at the Dhupguri block of Jalpaiguri district on Monday evening.

A source said that Sudipta Ghosh, a resident of Gadong-II panchayat of the block, got into the well and clung to a pipe inside the well.

Suddenly, he called out to his father, who rushed and found his son hanging precariously with the help of the pipe inside the well.

He called over his neighbours for help and also informed the Dhupguri fire station.

However, as firemen reached the spot, Ghosh suddenly slipped and fell into
the well.

Firemen tried to rescue him, but he died by drowning.

In due course, his body was recovered from the well.

Gas leak

An incident of ammonia gas leak from a cold storage in the Kranti block of Jalpaiguri district sparked tension in the area on Tuesday.

Sources said a valve in the pipeline of the storage facility malfunctioned on Tuesday morning and started discharging ammonia gas. The employees at the cold storage took up the task to repair it and informed Mainaguri police.

Firemen from Mainaguri and Jalpaiguri went to the spot and asked residents to keep distance as they joined the employees to repair the damaged valve. The leakage stopped soon.

“There was gas leakage, but the repair work was fast. The area is safe now, but we are monitoring it,” said a Mainaguri fire station officer.