Two workers died and two others were hospitalised after allegedly suffocating while cleaning a cooling tower water tank at a factory in the Jigani Industrial Area on Thursday evening.
The deceased have been identified as Munna Singh (40) and his brother Lalu Singh alias Deep Narayan (38), both natives of Uttar Pradesh. Two other workers, Sumit Mondal (22) and Bijay Singh (50), are undergoing treatment at a private hospital and are reported to be in stable condition.
Rescue attempt turns tragic
According to police, the incident occurred around 5.30 pm when workers were cleaning sludge inside a cooling tower water tank at Kumar Organics.
Preliminary investigations suggest that Munna Singh accidentally slipped and fell into the tank. In an attempt to rescue him, his brother Lalu jumped inside but also collapsed.
The other two workers then entered the tank to help but reportedly lost consciousness as well.
Fellow employees rushed to the scene, pulled all four workers out and shifted them to a nearby hospital.
Two declared dead, two stable
Doctors declared the Singh brothers brought dead on arrival. Sumit Mondal and Bijay Singh were admitted to the intensive care unit and are currently receiving treatment.
Munna Singh’s wife, Reethu Singh, stated in her complaint that her husband had been working with the company for nearly 25 years.
Safety lapses under investigation
Police said preliminary findings indicate that adequate safety equipment, including face masks, gloves, helmets and breathing apparatus, may not have been provided before the cleaning operation began.
Following the incident, Jigani police arrested the company’s safety manager. The contractor involved in the work has also been booked on charges of negligence.
Authorities are continuing their investigation to determine the exact circumstances that led to the tragedy.