5 people drowned in a sewer pipe in Bukhara, 3 bodies found

On September 4, five people drowned in a sewer pipe in the Bukhara region. The bodies of three victims have been recovered, the regional Department of Internal Affairs reported.

According to the report, at 12:02 the Bukhara regional Fire Department notified the regional Internal Affairs Department via the short number "102" that five workers, who had been connecting sewer pipes for new multi-storey buildings under construction in the 7th microdistrict of Bukhara city, had accidentally fallen into the central sewer pipe passing through the village of Bogydasht in the Bukhara district.

The investigation established that on September 4 at 12:00, five workers of “Fayz Binokor Oltiariq” LLC were carrying out repair work on the sewer in the specified area. During the process, a Kamaz crane driver employed by “Urta Azio Qurilish” LLC opened a cover without authorization from the Bukhara Region Water and Sewage Engineering Company. He attempted to make an internal connection between the newly dug sewer and the existing pipeline, which has a diameter of 1,000 mm and a depth of 8 meters. Due to violations of labor protection regulations, five workers fell into the sewer and were swept away by the strong current.

During the inspection of the site, the bodies of three victims were found inside the pipes of the wastewater transfer point located in the Zarmanak municipal district of Bukhara. Search efforts are ongoing to locate the remaining two.

The Investigation Department of the Bukhara regional Internal Affairs Department has opened a criminal case under Part 2, Article 257 (Violation of labor protection rules) of the Criminal Code. A preliminary investigation is underway.

It is worth noting that earlier, a 17-year-old boy drowned after falling into a canal in Seoul Mun Park, Tashkent, while attempting to retrieve his hat. His body was later recovered.