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Indian-origin man dies after inhaling toxic fumes in Singapore, body repatriated
Srinivasan Sivaraman died on May 23 after inhaling toxic fumes while cleaning a tank at the national water agency PUB’s Choa Chu Kang Waterworks in Singapore.
The body of a 40-year-old Indian-origin man who died after inhaling toxic fumes at a PUB (National Water Agency) facility in Singapore has been repatriated to his hometown in Tamil Nadu for the final rites, news agency PTI reported on Wednesday.
Srinivasan Sivaraman, employed as a cleaning operations manager at Supersonic Maintenance Services in the country, died on May 23 after inhaling toxic fumes while cleaning a tank at the national water agency PUB’s Choa Chu Kang Waterworks.
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Reports from The Straits Times and Tamil Murasu, a Tamil-language daily in Singapore, said that Sivaraman's body was handed over to his family on May 26 and brought to India for the final rites on Tuesday, May 28, according to the news agency.
Details of the incident
Srinivasan Sivaraman and two Malaysian workers were found unconscious at the PUB facility on May 23 morning after inhaling toxic fumes. Sivaraman was later pronounced dead at the hospital that same day. The Stargroup Est company, which employs one of the Malaysian workers, said that the two other workers are still in intensive care.
Initial investigations by PUB revealed that the workers had inhaled “hydrogen sulphide gas,” a by-product of the water treatment process.
Approximately 50 individuals, including family, friends, and colleagues, gathered on May 26 to pay their final respects in Singapore.
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Sivaraman's family planned to leave for Malaysia on May 27
The deceased’s wife, Narmatha, 35, arrived in Singapore on May 2 with their two daughters, Mahasri, 9, and Srinisha, 7, and stayed with her brother, Mohan Naveenkumar, who works in the food distribution industry. The family had intended to stay in Singapore for a month before travelling to Malaysia, as Sivaraman was scheduled to go on leave on May 27.
However, upon learning of Sivaraman’s death, they returned to their hometown of Kambarnatham, a village in the Thanjavur district of Tamil Nadu, the next day.
Naveen Kumar said that Narmatha was so distraught by the news that she decided to fly home to be with her relatives. “On the day of the incident, Sivaraman went to work as usual. He told his family to be ready at 5 pm to visit Gardens by the Bay. His young daughters were also excited about this,” Naveenkumar, 33, said.
He added that Sivaraman’s two daughters have been asking where their father, who welcomed them with open arms at the Singapore airport, is and why he is not at home to greet them.
Naveenkumar mentioned that the family struggles to tell the children their father will never return home.
