Two sanitation workers die while cleaning sewer in Indore

Indore: Two Indore municipal corporation sanitation workers, identified as Karan and Ajay, died after entering a sewer chamber near Choithram Hospital in Indore on Monday.DCP Krishna Lalchandani said the incident occurred near Choithram Mandi Gate under Zone 13 limits around 6.30 pm. The two workers went down into the chamber to retrieve a portion of the suction tanker pipe that fell inside while they were emptying water from the de-watering vehicle."Preliminary information indicates that the workers had not entered the chamber for routine cleaning. After emptying a septic tank, the team had reached near the Choithram Hospital gate to discharge the collected water into a primary line chamber. While the de-watering vehicle was releasing the water, its pipe slipped and fell inside the open chamber. In an attempt to retrieve the pipe, sanitation worker Karan allegedly stepped into the chamber without informing others," said IMC commissioner Kshitij Singhal."He is believed to have slipped and fallen inside. Seeing him in distress, fellow worker Ajay entered the chamber to rescue him. Both men were later found unresponsive," said Singhal.Officials suspected the presence of toxic gases inside the chamber led to suffocation. The two workers were pulled out and rushed to hospital, where they were declared dead after examination. Police said the exact cause of death will be confirmed following the post-mortem.Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargav and municipal commissioner Kshitij Singhal, along with other officials, reached the spot soon after the incident and reviewed the situation. They later reached the victim's home to meet the family members.Further inquiry was underway to establish the sequence of events and assess compliance with safety protocols.