Bara, October 3

Five persons, including a minor, died after being suffocated in a tank made for storing raw materials for hooch at Pheta Rural Municipality-4 in Bara last night.

The deceased have been identified as Joga Mukhiya Bin, 40, his wife Lalmuni Devi, 38, daughter Sumani Kumari, 10, Joga’s brother Mahendra Mukhiya Bin, 35, of the rural municipality and Gulabchand Mushahar, 44, of Bahukathawa, India. The illegal liquor was being produced in Joga’s house.

Police said the bodies of five persons were recovered from a five-feet deep tank made for keeping raw materials to produce illegal liquor.

SP Bikash Raj Khanal of Bara District Police Office said they might have fallen one after another into the tank while trying to save each other. No injury was found on the bodies of the deceased, SP Khanal added.

Police said the bodies of five persons had been kept in Kalaiya Hospital.

SP Khanal said police were investigating the incident. Earlier, police had seized the illegal liquor from the same house and destroyed it. Police said Joga had been secretly continuing the business from the same house.