Three people found dead in water tank near Gunning
THE three members of the one family believed to have been killed by an invisible, odourless gas have been identified as wool grower Andrew Basnett (pictured), his wife Anne and his brother Richard.
NSW
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THE three members of the one family believed to have been killed in a freakish gas accident have been identified.
Wool grower Andrew “Andy” Basnett, 69, was found dead last night alongside the bodies of his wife Anne, 63, and brother 68-year-old Richard in a ground cement water tank on their property near Gunning, on the state’s Southern Tablelands.
Police are investigating the deaths, with reports an invisible, odourless gas was responsible for the tragic accident.
A neighbour discovered their bodies shortly after 6pm and immediately rang emergency services.
They could not be revived.
The family have been described as “upstanding members of the community” by locals.
Yass Valley deputy mayor Kim Turner was close friends with the family and said he was “still coming to grips” with the tragedy.
“It’s a massive loss to the community of Gunning, to the farm ship and a personal loss for me,” Mr Turner said.
“The were very well known and respected in the community.”
Police today described the deaths as a “tragic, tragic, set of circumstances”.
Acting Superintendent Andrew Koutsoufis said poisoning from gas was being investigated as the cause of the deaths.
“There was a petrol pump being used to clean the tank and that may have been the cause of the build of fumes at the bottom of the water tank,” Mr Koutsoufis said.
“A 69-year-old male was conducting some routine maintenance of the water tank, as a result he has collapsed at the bottom of that water tank.
“The man’s 68-year-old brother followed him into the tank to check on him, but is also to believed to have succumbed to the fumes and collapsed.”
Anne Basnett died after going into the tank to check on the collapsed men inside.
Their bodies remained in the tank overnight, as emergency services waited for the build-up of gas to clear.
.@nswpolice: Carbon monoxide poisoning may have caused three people to collapse and die inside a water tank. MORE: https://t.co/j3CQSa96Wv pic.twitter.com/JDO0c0MifD
— Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust) February 16, 2017
The cause of death is yet to be determined, but it is believed they were working in a in-ground cement tank when he collapsed.
The news of the tragedy has spread throughout the tight-knit community of Gunning near the Hume Hwy near Yass.
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