Three workers died after they entered an under-construction manhole at Malleshwara Layout, Ijur, in Ramanagara on Friday.
The deceased have been identified as Rajesh (40), Manjunath (29) and Manjunath (32), residents of Kamalanagar in Bengaluru.
They had entered the manhole to remove the sandbags and bricks at 11 am. While Rajesh hurt his head after losing balance and falling into the manhole, the other two, who went in to rescue him, died due to asphyxiation. Locals tried in vain to save them.
Firemen donning oxygen masks later retrieved the bodies, which were handed over to their family members after postmortem.
Harish, the contractor, brought workers from Bengaluru. He had neither checked the oxygen level in the manhole nor provided safety gear. He is absconding. SP Girish said the contractor's negligence led to the deaths.
City Municipal Council commissioner Nandakumar said the contractor had not informed them about the work.
Deputy Chief Minister C N Ashwath Narayan has sought a report from the deputy commissioner.
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