Three workers died after they inhaled a toxic gas while cleaning a septic tank at a factory in Gujarat's Ahmedabad city on Friday, police said.
The workers were cleaning an underground septic tank in a jeans-washing unit in the Danilimda area in the morning, Assistant Commissioner of Police Y. A. Gohil said.
He said workers Prakash Parmar, Vishal Thakor, and Sunil Rathva died of asphyxiation as soon as they entered the tank.
The official said the unit had remained shut for some time, and the owner wanted to restart the facility and had hired a contractor to clean the septic tank.
"Our probe revealed that one worker fell unconscious after he entered the tank, and the others followed to see what had happened to him. The trio was rushed to a hospital, where doctors declared them dead," Gohil said.
He said the bodies were sent for postmortem, and a first information report will be registered against the contractor and unit owner for causing death by negligence, as the victims were not provided any safety equipment.