Seven labourers die of suffocation inside underground storage tank

Seven daily wage workers died due to suffocation in an underground storage tank they were cleaning at a poultry farm in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh on Friday morning.

According to police, four workers got into the underground tank where waste water is stored.

The tank is cleaned once in six months. One of the workers fainted due to asphyxiation in the tank and died on the spot.

Three others also fell unconscious. The remaining, including the supervisor, who went inside to bring them out, too, fainted.

Villagers who rushed to the spot, too, tried to rescue the workers by removing the ceiling of the tank.

Three workers died on the way to the Palamaneru government hospital and three more died while undergoing treatment.

The deceased were identified as Govinda Raju, Venkata Raju, Babu, Ramachandra, Kesava, Reddappa, and Ramesh. They were from different villages in Palamaner block.

Supervisor Siva sustained injuries and is undergoing treatment at Palamaner area hospital.

Police said that the supervisor on duty failed to assess the danger of poisonous gases that could be produced by putrefying biological material in a closed environment before sending the workers into the tank.

A case of death due to neglicence has been registered. The police said the plant manager escaped immediately after the incident.