Three hog hunters from Florida are dead after they jumped into an underground cistern to rescue their escaped dog, and authorities believe they died due to inhaling hydrogen sulphide, also known as swamp gas or sewer gas.
The bodies of two men, a woman and a bloodhound were pulled from the tank, which was uncovered and in the middle of a cornfield located outside Austin, Texas.
The victims were identified as Delvys Garcia, 37; Denise Martinez, 26; and Noel Vigil-Benitez, 45.
Police in Bastrop Country said the hunters were looking for their dog early Wednesday morning after it ran from their truck. They tracked it with a device on the dog’s collar and found it trapped inside the cistern, which had an opening about 1.2 metres, or four feet, wide.
One of the hunters went inside first to try and rescue the dog, followed by the two others, who went in to save them. A fourth hunter did not go into the hole and went back to the truck to call 911.
Bastrop County Sheriff Maurice Cook said Thursday that the tank contained a “high level” of hydrogen sulphide gas, which was created by about two metres of stagnating water at the bottom of the tank, as well as the decay of other animals that had died after falling in.
Police who responded at the scene reported “strong fumes, similar to those of a septic tank, coming from the cistern,” according to the sheriff’s statement. It’s believed the hunters were overcome by the hydrogen sulphide gas inhalation and sank to the bottom.
Efforts to recover the bodies were hampered by the stench and concerns about the structural integrity of the cistern’s walls.
Eventually, an officer from Bastrop County was lowered into the hole to pull the bodies out. Autopsies have been ordered and CBS reports that a local funeral home took the dog’s body.
Hydrogen sulphide is a naturally occurring gas that is colourless and known for its rotten egg odour, according to Health Canada.
“It is produced from the breakdown of organic matter in the absence of oxygen, and therefore, is widely present in sediments and water, as well as in biological wastes,” the agency writes.
It is also a deadly poison, that can be lethal within hours of exposure, the Canadian Union of Public Employees writes on a webpage about workplace hazards.
Exposure to hydrogen sulphide can cause headaches, dizziness, loss of balance, nausea and diarrhea.
— With files from The Associated Press