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NEW DELHI - Three contract workers died after reportedly inhaling toxic gas while cleaning a wastewater treatment tank at Tata Electronics’ iPhone components plant in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, police said on Tuesday, reported Xinhua.
The workers died of suspected asphyxiation on Monday evening inside a nano-filtration feed tank at the plant in Krishnagiri district, near Hosur.
According to police, the three workers were carrying out cleaning work at the facility when they were exposed to toxic gas and collapsed inside the tank.
They were rescued and rushed by ambulance to a private hospital in Hosur, where doctors declared all three dead on arrival.
Reports said the trio were employed through a private contractor for maintenance and cleaning work at the facility.
The cleaning operation is reportedly carried out once every two months on a rotational basis.
The bodies were sent to a government medical college hospital in Krishnagiri for postmortem examinations.
Police have registered a case and launched an investigation into the incident.
Krishnagiri District Officer C Dinesh Kumar has directed officials to conduct a detailed investigation into the deaths.
"There were no proper safety measures in place while handling the ETP,” Kumar told The New Indian Express, referring to the effluent treatment plant.
According to the district officer, one worker initially attempted to look inside the tank but fainted after inhaling gas.
Two others subsequently entered the tank to check on him and also collapsed. A fourth worker witnessed the incident and raised the alarm.
Police said preliminary inquiries suggested that the workers may have died after inhaling toxic gas.
The exact cause of death is expected to be established following postmortem examinations.
The incident has prompted an investigation into possible lapses in industrial safety procedures at the facility.
Reports said more than 1,500 employees work at the facility in different shifts. - BERNAMA-XINHUA
