Rayagada: In a tragic incident, five persons including a woman died of asphyxiation inside a septic tank in Rayagada district of Odisha today.

The five died while undergoing treatment at the Christian Hospital in Rayagada. All the deceased were labourers.

The deceased were identified as Rashmita Ulaka (18), Bairagi Kalaka (25), Purnachandra Tikri (25), Surjya Narayan Patra (25), and Bairagi Patra (18).

The incident was reported from Paika Sahi of Durgi village under Bissamcuttack police limits this morning.

According to reports, the five labourers were trapped in an under construction septic tank after they entered into it to rescue a woman labourer Rashmita this morning.

However, they fell unconscious inside the tank during the rescue attempt. Fellow villagers dragged them out of the septic tank and rushed them to the nearby hospital in a critical condition. While five of them were declared dead, another labourer identified as Kartik Goud (20) was battling for life in the hospital till the last report came in.