Two brothers and their cousin were electrocuted to death in Madhya Pradesh on Friday morning when they got down in a well to check an irrigation motor pump that had stopped functioning, said police.

The incident took place at Patai village under Devari police station, about 120 km away from Raisen district headquarters, the neighbouring district of Bhopal, at about 9 am, according to police.

Sub-divisional officer of police (SDoP) Ashok Ghanghoria said, “The well is situated in the agriculture field of a Kushwah family. When the irrigation motor pump installed inside the well stopped functioning on Friday morning, Brijesh Kushwaha, 20, got down in the well to see what had gone wrong. The moment he touched the motor pump he was electrocuted. On seeing the condition of his younger brother, Jagdish Kushwah, 25, entered the well to rescue him and the moment he made an attempt to pull his brother out, he too was electrocuted. Their cousin brother Preetam Kushwah met the same fate when he entered the well.”

The officer said though the villagers informed the police immediately, it could reach only around 2 pm since the main road was submerged due to heavy rains. After a post-mortem examination, the dead bodies were handed over to their families. Police lodged a report and initiated an investigation.

Tehsildar of the area Chhote Giri Goswami said, “A sum of Rs 4 lakh each for the next to the kin of the deceased was announced by the state government.”