CHENNAI: A 30-year-old sanitation worker died after inhaling toxic gas while engaged in underground sewer maintenance work in Thoothukudi on February 25.
The deceased, Rajkumar, hailed from Paruthikulam village near Manur in the Tirunelveli district. He had been working for the past year as a contract cleaner through a private firm handling the Thoothukudi Corporation’s underground sewerage maintenance.
On Wednesday evening, Rajkumar and three others were carrying out maintenance work in the Adiparashakthi Nagar area.
A worker named Shankar had entered the sewer when he reportedly experienced difficulty due to the presence of toxic gas. Rajkumar went inside to assist him and inhaled the gas, leading to his collapse inside the sewer.
Hearing Shankar’s cries for help, residents alerted authorities. Personnel from the SIPCOT fire station rushed to the spot and rescued Rajkumar. However, the 108 ambulance medical team declared him dead at the scene.
SIPCOT Police Inspector Dhanasekaran and police personnel arrived at the spot, sent the body to Thoothukudi Government Hospital for post-mortem examination, and registered a case. An investigation is underway, said a report by Daily Thanthi.
He is survived by his wife, Subha.
Following the incident, members of the sanitation workers’ association staged a protest at the site, demanding Rs 20 lakh as compensation for the family and a government job for his wife.
The tragic incident has caused shock and grief in the locality.