Delhi: 4 feared dead after falling in manhole

Officers aware of the development said the rescue operation was going on.

Four men were feared dead after three of them fell inside a sewer in Sanjay Gandhi Transport Nagar on the main Bawana Road in outer north Delhi on Tuesday evening, police said. The fourth person, a rickshaw driver who tried to rescue these three men, also succumbed, the police added.

Fire department officials confirmed none of the victims wore any safety gear. (Ravindra Joshi/HT PHOTO)

Officers aware of the development said the rescue operation was going on.

A senior police officer who asked not to be named said the matter was reported to the Samaypur Badli police station at 6.34pm, and the caller informed that three people fell into a sewer where they had gone for fixing a MTNL line in Sanjay Gandhi Transport Nagar.

The officer said Soon after receiving the call, a police team was rushed to the spot and the area was cordoned off. The fire department officials and an ambulance were also informed.

Deputy commissioner of police (Outer North) Brijendra Kumar Yadav said the sewer was covered with an iron net, over which the MTNL wires were placed. “It is likely that the men stepped on the iron net and it collapsed under the weight. When our team reached there and started to enquire, some locals told us that a cycle rickshaw driver had also jumped in to rescue the three men trapped inside, but when he too did not come out, a PCR call was made and other agencies were alerted,” said the officer.

The three workers were employees of a private contractor and were working on MTNL lines, the officer said. They were identified as Bachu Singh, Pintu and Suraj Kumar Sahni (55), all residents of West Delhi’s Janakpuri. The rickshaw driver was identified as Satish (38), a resident of sector 16 in Rohini.

Fire department officials confirmed none of the victims wore any safety gear.

A second officer said they had to call in an earth mover to widen the mouth of the sewer to fish out the four victims. “None of the were responding to shouts so we are presuming they are dead. The gases inside the sewer are too strong and none of them had any protective gear. We are getting the sewer’s entry widened so that we could reach them,” the officer said.

Police said that they are yet to ascertain what exactly the three contractual employees were doing at the site, and who sent them there. “Right now, our priority is to rescue the victims at the earliest. The rescue operation is ongoing for four hours now and once the manhole is widened, only then the rescue teams will be able to enter it. Police will get more clarity as the investigation progresses,” said a third officer.

A fire department official said that the three workers were not wearing any protective gear as appeared on from their bodies. “These three didn’t seem to wear any protective gear. All labourers who are tasked to go inside sewers and drains which may produce toxic gases should wear Breeding Apparatus Set to ensure they don’t inhale fumes emanating from inside the drain”