Five Good Samaritans died in an Argentine village after inhaling toxic gases as they tried to rescue a worker in trouble in a sewer well, to no avail, municipal officials said Saturday.
The five entered the sewer system Friday in the town of Blaquier in Buenos Aires province to help a pump technician, who died despite their efforts, according to a statement from the municipality.
Two firefighters who extracted the bodies of the six victims were hospitalized after inhaling the same gases.
Argentine press said the deceased were between 27 and 60 years old, and included a father and his son and at least two volunteer firefighters who had come to the aid of their neighbors.
Blaquier has only a few hundred inhabitants.