Bhubaneswar: Three labourers from West Bengal met a tragic end Friday while repairing and cleaning a septic tank at an apartment complex in Trisulia locality of this town. The deceased were identified as Abu Tahir Ali, 36, son of Mohammed Abul Seikh; Almin Seikh, 27, son of Aminul Rahman and Krishna Kishore Sarkar, 38, son of Dinanath Sarkar. While Ali and Seikh hailed from Murshidabad district, Krishna was from Nadia district.
Though the exact reason behind the accident is yet to be ascertained, police said that they suspected the deaths due to asphyxiation. They said that the labourers lost consciousness due to suffocation while removing the centre ring of the septic tank with a very narrow opening. Upon being informed, Baranga Fire Services personnel reached the spot and rescued the labourers.
The rescued labourers were immediately rushed to the SCB Medical College and Hospital. However, doctors pronounced two of them dead on arrival. The condition of third deteriorated while undergoing treatment and he breathed his last later in the day.
“The septic tank had a very narrow opening. We entered inside the tank by breaking the wall with a drill machine. We managed to rescue all the three labourers, but by then they were senseless. They must have inhaled some poisonous emissions. Despite our best efforts they breathed their last,” informed a Fire Services official.
Locals alleged that the tragedy could have been averted if the labourers had protective gears. They informed that none of the labourers were wearing masks when they started working on the tank and had they done so, they could have been saved.
According to information available, one of the labourers working on the septic tank fell inside it through the opening. In an effort to rescue him, two others also jumped inside the tank. They immediately started feeling dizzy and started screaming for help. By the time, others rushed to the spot and informed the Fire Services, the three had lost their senses, locals informed.
PNN