Four labourers including father-son duo die of asphyxiation while cleaning water tank in Gujarat

Ahmedabad: Four workers including a father-son duo died while cleaning a tank of a water-recycling plant in Surat district on Tuesday. Primary reports suggest that they died due to asphyxiation while trying to save one another. Police said that they were awaiting the post-mortem report to find out what exactly killed the workers.

According to a preliminary report, 33-year-old Raju Lumsingh Baghaiya entered the tank to check the motor and clean it at around 7.30 pm. It said that he felt suffocated and was climbing the staircase to come out when he fell unconscious. His 16-year-old son, Kamlesh, then entered the tank to save his father but he too collapsed.

The report stated that two others- Shahbaz Mohammed Shadar Shaikh, 19 and Dipak Umashankar Singh, 26, also died after entering the tank to save the father-son duo. A fire team from Bardoli equipped with oxygen masks removed the bodies from the tank.

"We are awaiting the post-mortem and factory inspector's report to know the exact cause of the death before filing an FIR," Surat district Superintendent of Police, Hitesh Joysar, told DH when asked if an FIR has been registered.

Ramesh Bodhaiya, the brother-in-law of Raju Baghaiya, told DH that the deceased were working as boiler labourers who were told by the contractor to clean the tank belonging to Kiran Industrial Private Ltd located at Rajhans Texpa, a textile park under Palsana police station area.

Bodhaiyas are tribals from Alirajpur district of Madhya Pradesh bordering Gujarat. The two others were from Bihar who were working here as labourers for the past two years.

Ramesh claimed that the company was offering the family Rs 6 lakh compensation while the family was demanding Rs 30 lakh. Despite attempts, the company officials could not be contacted.