Five workers died after inhaling poisonous gas while cleaning an underground tank at a pharmaceutical unit in Gujarat’s Gandhinagar district on Saturday, a fire brigade official said. Gandhinagar Chief Fire Officer Mahesh Mod said the incident took place in the afternoon at a effluent treatment plant of the pharmaceutical unit in Kalol taluka.
“As the plant was shut today, the management had decided to clean the tank, which stores liquid waste from the factory, before being sent for treatment. Though there was hardly any liquid waste in the tank, the workers were unaware of the presence of toxic gas inside it.”
He said that one worker fainted inside the tank, after which four others barged inside one after the other to save him and eventually died due to the toxic fumes.
The factory owners had not provided any protective equipment or masks to the workers, the official said. “One by one, all five workers went inside and fainted after inhaling the toxic gas, which is usually found in tanks that contain waste. Gandhinagar Fire Brigade reached the spot as soon as the incident was reported and pulled out the already dead people.
The deceased have been identified as Vinay, Shahi, Devendra Kumar, Ashish Kumar and Ranjan Kumar, aged between 30 and 35, he said.
read all breaking news, breaking news And coronavirus news Here. follow us on Facebook, Twitter And Wire.
.