Manager, salesman die fromtoxic fumes at UP fuel station

Agra: A manager and a salesman of a fuel station at Nagla Sont in Firozabad district were found dead inside a room at the petrol pump complex on Friday morning after allegedly inhaling toxic fumes emanating from a nearby generator switched on following a power cut. Police said initial findings indicated "death due to suffocation".SP city (Firozabad) Ravi Shanker Prasad said, "There were no external injury marks on their bodies. The exact cause of death will be ascertained after the postmortem report. It seemed that petrol pump manager Mohit Singh (27) and salesman Sagar Kumar (26), both from Etawah, inhaled poisonous fumes while they were asleep on Thursday night."Police added that another staff member, Ravi, was in a separate room and when he failed to get a response from the victims, he informed the petrol pump owner who then alerted the cops. Police personnel broke into the room and found both of them lying unconscious.It is suspected that toxic fumes along with carbon monoxide released from the generator accumulated inside the closed room, leading to acute suffocation. Mohit and Sagar were rushed to hospital, where doctors declared them dead, police said, adding that both were unmarried and their families live in Etawah.Notably, carbon monoxide -- one of the gases released by generators -- is known as a "silent killer", and inhalation of the harmful gas can result in fatal consequences, especially if there is no proper ventilation.A medical practitioner said, "The situation results in a sudden decline in oxygen level in the body, rendering the person unconscious. Since carbon monoxide is colourless and odourless, people usually fail to detect its presence in the air."