PHNOM PENH, Feb. 25 (FN) -- Two men had died from a lack of oxygen at the bottom of a five-meter deep well in central Kampong Thom province, a local police official confirmed on Thursday.

Sin Linh, deputy police chief of Kampong Svay district, where the incident occurred, said the incident happened late Wednesday afternoon when the older of the two victims climbed down the well to clean the bottom of the near-dry well and collapsed due to no enough oxygen at the bottom of the well.

"Before his death, the older called out for help and a young neighbor went down the well in an attempt to save him, but also lapsed into a coma and died at the bottom of the well," he told Xinhua, adding that the two victims aged 54 and 23 years.

He said police and villagers pulled the bodies from the well with a rope.

In 2014, seven people died from a lack of oxygen after climbing down a six-meter deep well in northwestern Siem Reap province to retrieve 3,000 riel (75 U.S. cents) that one of the victims accidentally dropped into the well.

According to experts, humans lapse into a coma and die within 40 seconds if they are in an atmosphere that has an oxygen level of 4 to 6 percent.

=FRESH NEWS