Indore, March 2 Two municipal workers died from asphyxiation due to toxic gas while cleaning a sewage chamber on Monday in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, a police official said.
The two were cleaning a sewage chamber in front of the Devi Ahilyabai Holkar fruit and vegetable market, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police Sumit Kerkatta said.
"While cleaning it, a part of the pipe from the sewage suction machine broke and fell into the chamber. One of the workers, who went down to remove the pipe, fainted after being exposed to toxic gas. Later, another municipal worker, who went down to rescue him, also fainted," Kerkatta said.
Both died from asphyxiation due to the toxic gas present in the sewage chamber, and their bodies were taken out with the help of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), he added.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Shrikrishna Lalchandani identified the deceased as Karan Yadav and Ajay Dodi.
Meanwhile, the Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) in a late-night press release, said Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has given instructions to provide financial assistance of Rs 30 lakh each to the families of the two deceased workers.
The release claimed that both the sanitation workers died while releasing water from a municipal vehicle into a drainage line chamber after emptying a septic tank.
Eyewitness Amit Rajak said the duo entered the sewage chamber without safety equipment.
He also alleged that the police, municipal workers, and ambulances did not reach the spot even after two hours of the incident. Passersby tried to rescue the two sanitation workers by pulling them out of the chamber, Rajak added.