The Hindu : Three die of asphyxiation at Metrowater pumping station

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Aug 12, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Tamil Nadu-Chennai

Three die of asphyxiation at Metrowater pumping station

By K. Manikandan

CHENNAI AUG. 11. Three persons died due to asphyxiation after they stepped into a collection well at the Metrowater pumping station at Valluvar Nagar in Tiruvanmiyur this evening.

The police gave the names of the deceased as Kuberan (38) and Rajmohan (30), employed with Muthukrishnan, a sub-contractor, and Sivakumar (38), a local resident, who stepped into the sewer lines to save them.

Local residents said that at around 4.30 p.m., Kuberan and Rajmohan stepped into the pumping station located in the Kamarajar Colony and swooned after inhaling a poisonous gas. Sivakumar, who noticed the two struggling inside, stepped into the tank using a ladder. The residents said though he succeeded in lifting one of them, he too was affected by the gas and fell into the tank.

"It all ended in a matter of few minutes", a youth staying close to the pumping station, said. According to fire service personnel, a fire tender from the Raj Bhavan Station and a team from the Emergency Rescue Unit at Egmore rushed to the spot.

They retrieved the bodies using hooks (`paadhala golusu') from the 15-foot deep tank.

According to police sources, a case under Section 304 (a) - (causing death due to negligence) was registered at the Adyar police station, against the sub-contractor.

Police officers said Metrowater had given the contract of cleaning the pumping station to Muthukrishnan and added that Muthuvel, his assistant, was taken into custody.

They pointed out that certain guidelines had been violated. They added that gas masks were not provided to the workers, who stepped into the pumping station.

Accepting that there was negligence, K. Deenadayalan, Managing Director, Metrowater, said such persons while entering sewer lines or pumping station should be equipped with safety gadgets, including masks and belts.

He said normal precautionary measures were not followed.

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