Sivaganga (Tamil Nadu): Two employees of a private sugar mill at Padamathur in Sivaganga district died on Wednesday after they reportedly collapsed inside a sugar syrup filter tank while carrying out cleaning work, according to The New Indian Express.
The victims were identified as M. Mohanasundaram (35) of Karumbavoor, who had been working at the mill for about 12 years, and E. Ponnazhagu (59) from the Sivaganga Main Road area, who had nearly three decades of service at the unit.
According to the police, the workers were assigned to clean a sugar syrup tank at around 8.30 am. Mohanasundaram entered the tank first and is believed to have lost consciousness after inhaling toxic gas. When Ponnazhagu noticed that his colleague had collapsed, he entered the tank in an attempt to help him, but he too fainted inside.
When the two failed to come out for some time, other workers raised an alarm and rushed to the spot. They found both men unconscious inside the tank. After ventilating the tank, the workers were pulled out and taken to Sivagangai Government Medical College Hospital, where doctors declared them brought dead.
A senior police officer said the workers had been provided with safety equipment and were engaged in routine cleaning of a 3,000-litre capacity sugarcane syrup tank. He said that while opening the lower outlet to clear accumulated residue, they were exposed to poisonous gas, which caused suffocation and led to them falling into the tank. The officer added that post-mortem examinations were conducted on Wednesday and the exact cause of death would be confirmed after the reports are received.
