What a smelly way to die

JAKARTA (JP): Three members of a family from the Klaten district, Central Java, were flushed to their death Tuesday in a 15-meter-deep toilet in their backyard, press reports said yesterday.

Mrs. Wiryodimejo, aged 55, was the first to plunge into the perilous pit. While gardening she stepped on the toilet's concrete lid. It caved in and she tumbled into the waste.

Her husband, Wiryodimejo, 60, who rushed to the scene after hearing his grandson's scream for help, used a bamboo ladder to climb down into the pit. However he fainted after inhaling the noxious fumes.

Their son Sukijo, 40, then tried to rescue the stranded couple. Wearing a mask he descended into the toilet on a rope. But he too was overcome by the strong smell and fell into the muck.

None of the panicky neighbors or relatives that flocked to the scene dared to help after knowing what had happened.

The victims' bodies were fished out four hours later with special equipment by a search and rescue team called in from the Sebelas Maret University in Surakarta, about 35 kilometers east of Klaten, Antara reported. (pan)