Grade 2 pupil and neighbor die in gas-filled well in Nkayi

A Grade 2 pupil and a young man died on Thursday in a harrowing incident at a neighbor's well in Nkayi Ward 19, after being overcome by suspected carbon monoxide and a lack of oxygen.

The tragedy unfolded near Nkayi Primary School when the child was reportedly sent into the well by an elderly man to retrieve a bucket that had fallen to the bottom, lured by the promise of sweets. When the boy failed to resurface, a neighbor attempted a rescue but was also overcome by the toxic air.

Councillor Thubelihle Mabuza Ncube, who visited the scene, described the ordeal as deeply painful. "It is very painful… a Grade 2 pupil being sent into the well by elders to go and retrieve a container from the bottom," he said, noting that the community had grown accustomed to such risky tasks.

A third person who tried to enter the shaft quickly signaled to be pulled out, reporting suffocating heat and a total lack of oxygen. Due to the extreme danger, villagers were unable to descend into the well to recover the bodies, instead using makeshift tools to pull them out from above.

The incident has left the Nkayi community in mourning. "Nkayi is hurting deeply," Ncube said. Police have since charged the man accused of sending the child into the well.