He rushed to save his cousin and died: in the Odesa region a 14-year-old boy was poisoned by sewer gases

In the Budzhak community of the Odesa region a tragedy occurred while cleaning the sewer: a 14-year-old boy died trying to save his 14-year-old cousin, who had lost consciousness in the sewer. The first victim was resuscitated and is in hospital. The incident was reported by the Main Directorate of the National Police in the Odesa region on August 27, 2026.

The tragedy happened during the day on August 27 at a private household. According to preliminary information from law enforcement, the 46-year-old homeowner together with her sons, aged 14 and 15, was cleaning a clogged sewer pipe. And according to the police’s official statement, it was the homeowner’s younger son who went down into the sewer — a 14-year-old boy. There the child lost consciousness. When it became clear that the boy could not get out on his own, relatives called his 14-year-old cousin for help. The teenager went down to rescue his relative but also lost consciousness.

Adults pulled both children out. The boy who first lost consciousness in the sewer was resuscitated. He was taken to hospital. His 14-year-old cousin, who went down to help, could not be saved. The teenager died in the ambulance on the way to the medical facility. Law enforcement authorities name poisoning by sewer gases as the preliminary cause of death. The police noted that neither family had previously been registered with social services or been on the radar of law enforcement.

Police are currently establishing all the circumstances under which the children were involved in cleaning the sewer and the tragedy occurred. At the time the statement was published, authorities were deciding whether to enter information into the Unified Register of Pre-Trial Investigations under Part 1 of Article 115 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine with the notation “accident”.

Earlier we wrote:

• Teenager fell out of a carriage after being struck by a conductor: Ukrainian Railways responded
• Mother sentenced to 5 years for the death of her 4-year-old son in Kharkiv. Head of the Child Services to be tried for negligence
• In Mykolaiv, a 13-year-old boy died while swimming in the Buzkyi estuary
• Drunk BMW driver hit a father and his son cyclists: 17-year-old boy died
• In Odesa, a 10-month-old baby died: teenage parents left him alone