Sump cleaner dies of asphyxiation

A 55-year-old man died of asphyxiation while cleaning a water sump in Rana Singhpete in Cottonpet on Saturday morning.

The police identified the deceased as Vediyappan alias Palani, a resident of Anepalya, who used to clean water sumps and tanks for a living.

On Saturday, Palani and two others went to clean the sump at a house owned by Mansoor Khan in Rana Singhpete. The trio opened the sump and Palani got down into the sump which had little water. He lost his conciousness as he inhaled poisonous gas and collapsed. Fearing something wrong must have happened, his associates fled the spot, said the police.

After a while, Khan, who noticed no one was around, peeped into the sump and found Palani lying motionless. He alerted the neighbours who helped him shift Palani to a private hospital where he was declared brought dead, added the police.

Preliminary investigations revealed that Khan had kept the sump closed for a long time and it was filled with poisonous gas. The moment Palani climbed down into the sump, he inhaled the poisonous gas and died.

The police are trying to trace the two men who accompanied Palani to glean details about the incident.

The Cottonpet police have registered a case of negligence against Khan and arrested him.