Septic tank drowning: Horrifying moment mum realises her three-year-old boy had drowned
- Young boy dies after falling into a septic tank
- His mother hopes his story can ‘prevent’ similar deaths
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A heartbroken mother has recounted the horrifying moment she found out her child had drowned in a septic tank.
Amanpreet and her family had intended to spend March 19 celebrating a friend’s housewarming, however the day quickly turned into a nightmare when her son, Nihal, went missing.
After a frantic search across the property in Victoria, the three-year-old’s body was found inside a septic tank after he had stepped on its unsecured lid and fallen in.
Those looking for Nihal had unwittingly passed by the tank numerous times, only checking inside after another child got their leg caught in it.
Upon looking inside, they found Nihal’s jumper lying atop the murky water – revealing the tragic fate of the little boy.
Her three-year-old son, Nihal (pictured), is the third child to die after falling into a septic tank due to an unsecured lid leading to fresh calls to have safety screens on the tanks mandated
READ MORE: Baby dies after being found unresponsive inside a car in 33C Outback town Fitzroy Crossing
Septic tanks are mostly found on rural properties that don’t have access to a sewage system, providing an area for waste to by stored.
Speaking to Kidsafe Victoria to help raise awareness over the dangers of septic tanks, Amanpreet revealed she ‘had never heard of a septic pit before that day’.
She also said that she couldn’t remember how many times she had passed over the tank’s lid before searching it.
‘I was running past the septic pit six, seven times saying “Nihal, mommy’s here”,’ Amanpreet recounted.
‘You don’t have to come to me … just say mama.’
Another child ran past shortly after and while stepping on the lid had flipped it over, alerting the parents to Nihal’s potential location.
‘My friend somehow removed the lid, I just saw dark water with some tissues and the jumper my son (was wearing) floating,’ Amanpreet said through tears.
‘I kept shouting, “No, it’s not Nihal, it’s just his jumper”.’
‘But then a man pulled out the jumper, and it was my son.’
The mother lamented about not ‘having time to get ready’ for her son’s death and never being able to say goodbye.
‘(The) worst part is at the time he was upset with us because we didn’t let him go to the swimming pool.’
A heartbroken mother, Amanpreet (pictured) has recounted the moment she found out her son had drowned in a septic tank in hopes his story will help ‘prevent’ similar deaths
Amanpreet said she hoped that her story would her ‘prevent these types of accidents’, with Nihal being the third child to die under the circumstances in Australia in the last 18 months.
An 18-month-old boy died in April when he fell into a septic tank at Mt Liebig, a remote Aboriginal community about 325km west of Alice Springs.
Despite being resuscitated and transported to the Women’s and Children’s Hospital in Adelaide, he succumbed to his injuries four days later.
The death came just months after NT WorkSafe issues warnings about securing the lids of septic tanks after two other children had died.
Chief executive of Kidsafe Victoria, Melanie Courtney, said safety screens for septic tanks should be mandated nationwide.
‘It’s a very simple mechanism that means if the lid fails the child will not fall through,’ she told 9News.
‘(We are) urging all homeowners that do have a septic pit on their property to check their system, check their lid and make sure it’s inaccessible to children.’
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