Toxic fumes kill two workers in septic tank

CHENNAI: Two men hired by a resident of Chellaperumal nagar, Sriperumbadur, to clean his septic tank died after inhaling toxic fumes on Sunday afternoon. Amudhan (35) and Kesavan (35) were employed as sewage cleaners by the Sriperumbadur town panchayat. The two men had contacted Rajendran and offered to clean his septic tank as it was overflowing.
Rajendran agreed, and the two men and the driver of a sewage water truck pumped out the entire wastewater from the septic tank and loaded it on to their truck.Kesavan noticed some sediments that had settled down at the bottom of the tank and lowered himself in to clear them. He fainted as soon as he entered and fell down on the tank floor. Amudhan, who got in to try and rescue Kesavan, fainted too. Both men died inside the tank before they could be pulled out. People in the area informed the fire department personnel who arrived immediately and pulled both men out.
Arul Raj, Sriperumbadur panchayat president, said that the families of the two men will be cared for and given adequate compensation. ���Under a government scheme, Rs 1.5 lakh is allotted to the family of the deceased as compensation. The families of these two men will receive the same amount,��� he said.
Earlier this month, two men had died after inhaling toxic gases while cleaning a septic tank in East Tambaram.
timeschennai@timesgroup.com