Tiruchy, Oct 3:
Three construction workers died of suffocation while working inside a newly built septic tank at a house under construction in Senthurai in Ariyalur district.
The deceased were identified as Dinakaran, 60, of Alivalam in Tiruvarur district; Baskar, 45, of Srinivasapuram in Tiruvarur; and Ramachandran of Senthurai in Ariyalur.
According to police, M Subramanian, 61, of Gandhi Nagar in Senthurai, was constructing a house at Vallalar Nagar on the Senthurai-Udayarpalayam main road. A septic tank measuring 12 feet in height and eight feet in depth had been built at the site.
On Friday, Dinakaran and Baskar were removing the wooden boards and poles that had been used to support the structure during construction. Ramachandran was assisting them from outside the tank.
The two workers inside the tank suddenly collapsed. When Ramachandran found them unconscious, he entered the tank in an attempt to rescue them. However, he too experienced breathing difficulties and collapsed.
Subramanian, the house owner, rushed to the spot and alerted the Senthurai police and fire and rescue personnel. The three workers were taken to Senthurai Government Hospital, where doctors declared them dead. Their bodies were later sent to Ariyalur Medical College Hospital for postmortem examination.
Police questioned Subramanian as part of the investigation. The fact that the septic tank was newly constructed and had not yet been used raised questions about the circumstances of the deaths.
The initial investigation indicated that the tank had remained closed for more than 20 days after construction for curing. Police also detected a foul smell emanating from the tank, which may have caused the workers to suffocate. A detailed investigation is under way to establish the exact cause of death.
The incident comes a month after two workers died of asphyxiation while cleaning a septic tank in Tiruchy on September 2.