Ahmedabad: Three individuals died of suspected gas poisoning while cleaning a sewage tank at a factory in the Danilimda area of Ahmedabad. The deceased — namely Prakash Parmar, Vishal Thakor, and Sunil Rathva, were working as contractual labourers at MK Creation, a denim washing unit.

According to the details, Naushadbhai, owner of MK Creation in Danilimda, had awarded a contract for cleaning its sewage tank. A person named Jignesh Purbia took up the contract and began the cleaning work with a team of five workers. On May 15, the team initiated the cleaning work, which remained incomplete. The next morning, i.e., today, three of them returned to finish the task. During the operation, one worker accidentally fell into the tank, and two others followed in an attempt to rescue him. All three were severely affected by toxic gas exposure inside the confined space. They were rushed to LG Hospital, where doctors declared them dead. The incident sparked outrage among family members, who alleged negligence in safety measures.

ACP Yuvrajsinh Gohil of K Division stated that a preliminary probe suggests death due to gas inhalation inside the underground sewage tank. It also appears that the workers were not provided with any safety gear. Danilimda police have initiated FIR procedures and detained the factory owner and contractor for questioning.

It has also come to light that MK Creation had been closed for over a year and was recently being reopened, prompting the tank-cleaning contract. CCTV footage and further investigation will determine if additional charges are to be added to the complaint. DeshGujarat