Five people have been drowned, and two more injured in a well in a southern Jordanian village, after an attempt to mend a broken pump went tragically wrong, Jordanian civil defense officials said Saturday.
The first casualty was the owner of the 18 meter (60 foot) well in Jarba, 240 kilometers (150 miles) south of Amman, who went down to repair the pump, but became dizzy from the lack of oxygen, lost his balance and fell into the water.
He called out to a member of his family who was waiting up above, but the would-be rescuer met the same fate, and both were drowned, as was a third relative who attempted to come to their aid.
Two civil defense employees then entered the well, but the rope supporting them snapped, and they too fell into the water.
A villager and another civil defense worker who tried unsuccessfully to rescue the victims were overcome by the lack of oxygen, and had to be taken to hospital.
Interior Minister Awad Khleifat has ordered a commission to be set up to investigate the tragedy, Saturday's press reported - AMMAN (AFP)
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