Varanasi, Aug. 22 -- Three men died and a fourth remains in critical condition after inhaling toxic gas inside a disused well in Kidhira village, under the jurisdiction of the Shahabganj police station in Chandauli district, on Saturday.

Police said four men descended into the well to retrieve a stuck submersible pump. Shortly after entering, all four collapsed due to the presence of toxic gas. Panic ensued among onlookers outside when the men stopped moving and failed to respond to calls.

Locals and police personnel managed to pull all four individuals from the well and rushed them to a nearby hospital, where doctors declared three of them dead on arrival. The deceased have been identified as Jamal, Tauqir Alam and Waris Ali, all in th...