RATNANAGAR, CHITWAN: A manual worker has died of asphyxiation while cleaning up a well in Geetanagar of Bharatpur Metropolitan City-23 in Chitwan district on Thursday morning.

The deceased has been identified as Ram Kumar Rana (36).

Rana was cleaning up a 40-feet deep well located within the residence of one Som Bahadur Loko at Naya Basti when he died from suffocation due to lack of oxygen yesterday morning, according to Superintendent of Police (SP) Deepak Thapa at the District Police Office, Chitwan.

Rana climbed down the well at 9:40 am and became unresponsive within moments, SP Thapa added. His body was retrieved nine hours later at 7 pm.

A Nepal Army's squad could not climb down below 25 feet due to the scarcity of the oxygen level after which a disaster relief squad from the Armed Police Force (APF) was called in for help.

Meanwhile, the body of the deceased has been kept at the Bharatpur Hospital for an autopsy.