SHO Shikohabad police station, Anuj Kumar Rana, told TOI that a team from the fire department launched a rescue operation using oxygen cylinders after being informed of the incident. After over four hours, all three men were pulled out around 5.30pm and taken to District Joint Hospital Shikohabad where doctors declared them dead.Locals alleged delays occurred as the rescue personnel struggled with methane buildup and leaking oxygen cylinders, preventing the victims from receiving medical attention during the hour of need. The operation resumed once alternative cylinders were arranged.SDM Shikohabad Gajendra Pal Singh said, “The postmortem confirmed that the cause of death was the inhalation of poisonous methane gas.” He added that all three were farmers from economically weak families, and an ex-gratia amount of Rs 4 lakh was announced for each of their families. Dhruv is survived by his wife, while Ajay and Chandraveer leave behind their wives and two children each.