Two men, who entered a septic tank to clean it, died after inhaling toxic fumes, at Ambattur on Sunday evening.
S. Murugan (45), who entered the tank first, fell into it and died, while Bhaskaran, who tried to rescue him, died later at a hospital.
The Ambattur police said the men were engaged by a contractor, Varadarajan, to clean the 10-feet-deep septic tank on Pillayar Koil Street in Kachinankuppam, Ambattur.
Around 6 p.m., Bhaskaran opened the lid of the tank that was being cleaned after many months. Soon after inhaling the fumes from the sewage, he fell into the tank. Bhaskaran jumped in to rescue him but lost consciousness.
Workers at some of the industrial units rushed to the spot and pulled out the two men who were rushed in an ambulance to Government Kilpauk Medical College Hospital.
While Murugan was pronounced dead on arrival, Bhaskaran failed to respond to treatment and died an hour later.
A case under section 174 of the Code of Criminal Procedure has been registered.
