Three workers from Tamil Nadu died after suffocating inside a hotel septic tank in Kattappana.
Rescue efforts were hampered due to the small size of the manhole and required breaking a portion of the tank.
The incident highlights ongoing safety risks for workers in hazardous cleaning tasks.
Three workers from Tamil Nadu died after suffocating inside a septic tank of a hotel in Kattappana, Idukki district, on Tuesday night, police said.
According to PTI, one of the workers had entered the manhole to clean the tank when he got trapped inside. Two others attempted to rescue him but collapsed as well.
Police said one of the deceased hailed from Cumbum in Theni district, while the other two were from Gudalur in the Nilgiris district.
Local residents told television channels that rescuers initially struggled to enter the tank because of the small size of the manhole. “A portion of the tank was broken to launch the rescue mission,” one resident said.
The three men were eventually pulled out and rushed to hospital, but doctors declared them brought dead, PTI reported. Fellow workers had raised the alarm after the men failed to respond, prompting local people to inform police and fire personnel, officials said.
Earlier this month, on September 22, two contract workers, Ravi (38) and Prabhu (32), had died after collapsing inside a 10-foot-deep manhole in Thiruverumbur, Trichy, due to suspected asphyxiation, according to Times Of India.
They were engaged in clearing a blockage as part of the underground drainage (UGD) Phase II project. One worker removed a "dummy block," releasing rainwater mixed with stagnant sewage, which may have produced toxic gas. Both collapsed and were later retrieved by the fire service team.
The Trichy Corporation announced a ₹30 lakh compensation for each victim and filed a complaint against the contractor for not adhering to safety procedures, TOI reported.
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken suo motu cognisance of the incident, raising concerns over the safety of sanitation workers.
(With inputs from PTI and Times Of India)
