Three hunters died while trying to save a dog that had fallen into an underground cistern in Texas.
The party of four had planned on going hunting Wednesday in Bastrop County, outside Austin, when one of their dogs darted off into a cornfield and fell into a hole leading to an underground tank, according to the New York Post. The deaths occurred while three people tried to save the dog.
The three victims were identified as Florida resident Delvys Garcia, 37; Denise Martinez, 26; and Noel Vigil-Benitez, 45.
The Bastrop County Sheriff's office got a call early on Wednesday morning at around 1 a.m. about three people stuck in a hole in the ground.
It is believed that one member of the hunting group had jumped in to save the dog while the two other victims also got into the hole, "possibly to rescue the first person." A fourth member of the party went to the truck to call for help.
Upon arrival, the responders discovered an underground cistern that was partially filled with water. The cistern emitted potent fumes resembling those from a septic tank, as described by the sheriff's office. Unfortunately, no signs of life were observed.
Rescuers measured dangerous amounts of the harmful gas hydrogen. Bastrop County Sheriff Maurice Cook explained to the media that they think the gas made the water heavy, causing it to pull the victims down quickly.
"It wasn't long in the tank before they went to the bottom," he said, according to USA Today.
At first, the authorities attempted to dig next to the structure, intending to dig through the side where the bodies were found.
However, this plan was stopped because breaking the structure could have weakened its walls and made it unsafe to enter, the sheriff's office stated.
The rescuers pumped the water out of the tank and let out the fumes from the cistern. They then used a small drone to inspect the strength of the walls. Afterward, a responder was lowered into the cistern.
The three bodies, as well as the body of the dog, were recovered by 7:30 p.m., authorities said.
"It's a sad day whenever it ends like it did yesterday," Cook said.
"Can you imagine? You have loved ones and they come to Texas to hunt and then it ends like this, which was a sad tragedy that just happened."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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