Man asphyxiated while cleaning septic tank near Tambaram, dies
On Saturday evening, Devaraj was hired by a firm that does maintenance work in the TVS Green Acres apartment complex to clean up the septic tank.
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CHENNAI: A 57-year-old man who was engaged in cleaning a septic tank at an apartment complex at Nedunkundram near Tambaram allegedly died due to asphyxiation after being hit by noxious gases when he entered the tank on Saturday.
The deceased was identified as Devaraj, a resident of Mettu Street in Nedunkundram. On Saturday evening, Devaraj was hired by a firm that does maintenance work in the TVS Green Acres apartment complex to clean up the septic tank.
After a sewage tanker emptied the tank, Devaraj was tasked with cleaning the tank. When the elderly man got into the tank, he swooned, after which onlookers alerted the Fire and rescue personnel.
A team rushed to the scene, secured Devaraj and moved him to a hospital nearby, where he was declared as brought dead.
Vandalur Otteri Police secured the man's body and moved it to Chromepet Government Hospital for a postmortem.
The deceased man's son, Ashok Kumar filed a complaint alleging that the supervisor of the firm that engaged his father did not provide him with any safety equipment and sought action against them.
Otteri Police have registered a case under Section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and are investigating.
