Dhanbad, July 24: Two workers died after allegedly inhaling toxic gases while cleaning a septic tank in Sadaryadih village of Jharkhand’s Dhanbad district on Thursday, officials said.
The deceased were identified as Dilip Mahto (42), a resident of Sadaryadih, and Rajesh Mahto (36), a resident of Andhari village in Mahuda.
According to officials, the two workers entered a newly constructed septic tank that had remained closed for nearly a month. They reportedly lost consciousness while cleaning the tank and were immediately rushed by local residents to the Baghmara Community Health Centre, where doctors declared them dead.
Preliminary findings indicate that the workers may have died due to suffocation caused by toxic gases accumulated inside the enclosed septic tank.
Circle Officer Girjanand Kisku said the exact cause of death would be established only after the post-mortem examination.
“The exact cause of death will be known after the post-mortem examination,” Kisku said.
He added that initial findings suggest the workers “may have suffocated due to toxic gases inside the septic tank.”
Following the incident, villagers alleged negligence on the part of Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL) and demanded accountability.
“The incident occurred due to negligence by BCCL,” residents alleged, while urging authorities to initiate strict action against those responsible.
The villagers also demanded adequate compensation for the families of the deceased workers.
“The families of the deceased should be given adequate compensation and those responsible must be held accountable,” they said.
Police and administrative officials are awaiting the post-mortem report to determine the exact cause of death, while further investigation into the incident is underway.
