Gandhinagar: A tragic industrial accident claimed three lives at the Saij GIDC area of Kalol on the night of May 14, after workers cleaning an underground tank at a unit of Mafatlal Gujarat Industries allegedly inhaled toxic gases and lost consciousness. Another worker remains in critical condition and is undergoing treatment at a hospital.

The incident occurred at Unit C/15–18 of Mafatlal Gujarat Industries Limited, where dyeing work on tarpaulin fabric is carried out. As part of the manufacturing process, an RCC underground tank is used in the Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP) system to treat coloured wastewater generated during operations.

According to details, cleaning work inside the underground tank began at around 9:30 pm. After water was pumped out using a motor pump, workers entered the tank using plastic buckets and iron ladders to remove accumulated sludge and waste from the bottom.

Amit Parihar and Amar Kumar Srivastava reportedly entered the tank first. Soon after entering, both allegedly lost consciousness due to suffocation and became trapped in the sludge.

Seeing them in distress, Anil Lodhi entered the tank in an attempt to rescue them but he too was overcome by toxic fumes and collapsed. In a further rescue attempt, Shivnath Dubey also entered the tank. However, due to the suspected presence of poisonous gas and low oxygen levels, he too became trapped.

The workers ultimately became victims while trying to save one another in a chain of rescue attempts.

Victims identified

The deceased workers were migrant labourers who had come to Gujarat for employment:

• Amit Pritam Parihar (32), from Madhya Pradesh
• Amar Kumar Srivastava (33), from Uttar Pradesh
• Shivnath Ramshankar Dubey (44), from Uttar Pradesh

Anil Bhagwan Lodhi survived and is currently under treatment in critical condition.

The incident has once again raised concerns over industrial safety measures and protocols during hazardous confined-space cleaning operations. Authorities are expected to investigate whether standard safety procedures and protective equipment were in place during the operation.