A husband and his mother-in-law have died trying to retrieve his wife’s new smartphone from a toilet in eastern China.
The pair were reportedly overcome by the fumes when wading through the cesspit trying to find the 2,000 yuan (£190) phone dropped into an open toilet in Xinxiang city, Henan.
The South China Post reports that the husband jumped into the cesspit first but could not find the device and soon lost consciousness from the gases. His mother-in-law then dived in to save him, but quickly also succumbed to the fumes.
The father-in-law called his neighbours for help before jumping in himself, but was unable to climb out. Two neighbours then jumped in to rescue him but themslves lost consciousness.
Finally, a group of other neighbours managed to attach a rope to the six people in the cesspit and pull them out, but neither the husband nor mother-in-law could be revived. The other three are recovering in hospital.
