Sydney, Jumada I 20, 1438, Feb 17, 2017, SPA -- Three members of one family in a small rural town in Australia died in a "tragic accident," after being overcome by fumes in an empty water tank, police said Friday. The incident took place Thursday evening in the New South Wales town of Gunning, when a 69-year-old man collapsed while cleaning the inside of an empty in-ground cement water tank using a petrol pump. The man's 63-year-old wife and 68-year-old brother went inside the tank to help him, but they all collapsed as well, police said. The fumes at the bottom of the tank emitted from the pump may have caused suffocation and carbon monoxide poisoning, resulting in the death of the trio, police superintendent Andrew Koutsoufis said. A neighbor called emergency services, but the family members were all found dead on their arrival, dpa reported. --SPA 15:31 LOCAL TIME 12:31 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w334493