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A migrant worker from Odisha died of asphyxiation on Monday, April 27, while cleaning a sump water tank at a private ethanol manufacturing unit in Tamil Nadu’s Tiruvallur district.
According to reports, the incident took place at a facility located in the SIPCOT Industrial Estate at Thervoy Kandigai, near Gummidipoondi.
The deceased has been identified as Danath Jaya Malik (24). He had been assigned routine maintenance work involving the cleaning of a sump tank, along with co-workers Sagar Das, Subrath Kumar, Mano Rangan Das, and supervisor P Mullai Vendhan.
The workers entered the enclosed tank one after another on Monday evening. Shortly after, they began to lose consciousness, allegedly due to inhaling noxious fumes that had accumulated inside. Such tanks in ethanol units can contain residual waste and chemical traces that release toxic gases, especially in poorly ventilated conditions.
The workers were pulled out by the supervisor and rushed to a private hospital in Manjankaranai. Due to the severity of their condition, they were later referred to the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital in Chennai for further treatment.
Malik, who was in critical condition, died on the way to the hospital. The other workers are currently undergoing treatment and are reported to be in stable condition.
Further investigation is underway.