4 Labourers Die Of Asphyxiation While Cleaning Effluent Tank

At least four labourers died of asphyxiation on Monday after inhaling a poisonous gas while cleaning a chemical effluent tank in a factory in Ahmedabad. Five others, who also inhaled the gas, were in a critical condition.

Preliminary investigation revealed that some labourers first entered the effluent tank to clean it at the factory in Vatva GIDC area of the city. When the labourers started becoming unconscious due to the poisonous gas, some others also went inside to save them. However, they too became unconscious.

The factory authorities rushed all the labourers to LG Hospital where four of them were declared brought dead while five others are undergoing treatment. The city's chief fire officer, Rajesh Bhatt, said the company manufactures dyes and intermediates and had shut the factory's operation since the last few days for some maintenance work.