Sons die trying to rescue dad in fume-filled cellar

TWO brothers have been killed while trying to help their father after he was overcome with toxic fumes in NSW’s Far West.

The bodies of the three family members were pulled from a small concrete cellar beneath a shed in Broken Hill on Thursday afternoon.

It is believed the father – 44year-old Layne Harvey – was in the cellar working on a generator when he lost consciousness.

His wife, Cherie Harvey, went down to check on him and realised something was amiss. She managed to climb out of the cellar and called an ambulance.

Mrs Harvey’s two sons, Kurtis, 16, and Jakeb, 23, (above) arrived at the property on Creedon St minutes later to help.

The father and sons were rushed to hospital but died on Thursday night.

Distraught locals and friends turned up at the scene yesterday morning to lay floral tributes. Barrier Police District Acting Superintendent Mick Fuller said crime scene investigators hadn’t been able to access the cellar as of yesterday morning.

“The challenge at the moment, which is why it is still under police guard, is to make sure it’s safe before we can go in and establish exactly what happened,” he said.