3 die while cleaning septic tank in Odisha’ Tarapaguda village: Police

According to the police, the three workers entered a newly constructed septic tank at a house in Tarapaguda village to clean it

Three workers died on Wednesday inside a septic tank while cleaning it in Odisha’s Rayagada district, police said.

A team from the Padmapur fire station rushed to the scene and pulled the three workers out of the tank. (HT Photo/ Representational)

The incident took place at Tarapaguda village under Padmapur police station limits. The deceased have been identified as Harishchandra Bir (46), Prakash Lima (45) and Alok Karad (47), all residents of Jibajagatpur village near Kenduguda, police said. Two of the deceased were masons while the third was a daily-wage labourer.

According to the police, the three workers entered a newly constructed septic tank at a house in Tarapaguda village to clean it. They reportedly became unconscious after being exposed to toxic gases inside the tank, police said.

A team from the Padmapur fire station rushed to the scene and pulled the three workers out of the tank. However, they were already dead by then, officers said. The bodies were taken to the Padmapur Community Health Centre, where doctors also declared them dead.

Police reached the spot and launched an investigation into the incident. The bodies have been kept at the health centre for further procedures.

On 26 May, six people died while removing shutter from an under-construction septic tank at Karlakhunta village in the Madanpur Rampur area of Kalahandi district. The deceased in that incident included three masons, a labourer, the house owner and his son.