Four workers died after inhaling toxic fumes while cleaning a septic tank at a jewelery manufacturing unit in Gujarat’s Surat city on Sunday morning, police said.
Although suffocation is most likely the main cause of their death, the exact cause will be confirmed by the post-mortem report, Alok Kumar said.
He added that the accident occurred in a septic tank, which collects waste resulting from the jewelry cleaning process, in the Ashwini Kumar area.
The facility’s septic tank undergoes cleaning and maintenance every two months. This morning, four people – a supervisor and three workers – entered the tank. The official said that they collapsed as a result of the effects of the poisonous gas and all of them died.
He added: “We are investigating who led to his negligence, as preliminary investigations indicate that safety protocols were not followed. However, we will conduct a detailed investigation into the matter.”
The supervisor called the fire department before he entered the tank, and initial findings indicate they lacked any safety equipment, the DCP said.
Immediately after the accident was reported, the fire brigade rushed to the scene, carried out a rescue operation, removed the four victims from the tank, and transported them to the hospital, where doctors declared them dead, according to officials.
“So far, we are registering a case of accidental death. We will also analyze the CCTV footage to identify the protocols that should have been implemented versus what was actually implemented and then assign responsibility,” the DCP said.
