2 workers die of asphyxiation in Cuddalore

Police sources said the deceased were identified as A Manickam (40) of Kakuppam and S Rajkumar (38) of Sitharasolai in Villupuram. R Jagadeeshwaran, the house owner, had engaged the workers for the last couple of months for construction, including a septic tank. The tank remained closed for nearly a month.

On Monday, the workers opened the tank and entered inside to remove a slab. First Manickam entered into the tank, and inhaled the poisonous gas which had formed inside.

As there was no response from him even after a while, Rajkumar also went into the tank and fell unconscious like his colleague. Following an alert, police and Fire and Rescue Services personnel rushed to the spot and brought them out of the septic tank. However, by then they had died, police said.

The bodies were then sent to Cuddalore Government Hospital for post-mortem examination. The local police have registered a case and are questioning the house owner.