Four members of a family died as they fell into an abandoned pit while trying to save a goat at Joloi village in Madhupur upazila of Tangail district on Saturday.
The deceased were identified as Babul Hadima, 48, his son Neimar Mrong, his brother-in-law Ratan Nakrek, 26 and another brother-in-law Gabriel Sangma, 42, of the upazila.
AKM Fazlul Haque, Officer-in-Charge of Madhupur Police Station, said a goat of Babul Hadima slipped into the abandoned pit around 8:30 am.
To save it, Babul and three others went down into the pit one after another and dell unconscious inside it.
Getting to respond from the well, local people informed the matter to local Fire Service and Civil Denfence who recovered the bodies.
Local Union Parishad member Hasmat Ali said toxic gas might have been accumulated in the old pit and it is presumed that they might have died after inhaling the gas.
A pall of grief descended the area following the tragic deaths.