Two labourers asphyxiated in new water tank, 3 critical in Namakkal

According to police, the five men identified as Murugesan (45), Sanjay (22), Davamurugan (35), Arumugam (32) and Siranjeevi (19) went into the 8-feet deep tank one by one through a narrow opening to remove wooden plank beneath the newly laid concrete slab.

When they all swooned, shocked public informed Fire and Rescue personnel who pulled them out after a long struggle. They were then rushed to Rasipuram Government Hospital.

Doctors declared Murugesan and Sanjay dead on arrival, while the other three were referred to Salem GH in a critical and unconscious state. The new house is being built by Senthil Kumar, a daily wager at Indira Nagar.

Following the incident, Social Welfare Minister V Saroja, Namakkal Collector K Megraj and AKP Chinraj MP visited the spot and consoled the grieving families at Rasipuram GH, where a large number of villagers gathered. The Namagiripettai police have registered a case and further investigations are on.