Jaipur, (UNI) Three factory workers died of asphyxia while cleaning a sludge tank in a textile unit in the industrial area in Balotra town of Rajasthan on Friday.
The trio descended 10 to 12 ft down the sludge tank of the Laljiwala Mill for cleaning it, but fell unconscious therein. Sensing trouble, the fellow workers approached the tank after a while, only to find them unconscious.
They were rushed to a nearby private hospital where doctors declared them dead.
The deceased are identified as Gumana Ram (25), Vishambhar Tiwari (54) and Shravan (32), police sources said.
The victims climbed down the tank without proper safety gears, which they were supposed to wear, the sources said.
The police have initiated a probe into the incident, they said.
Former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has expressed shock and grief over the deaths in tragic circumstances. Gehlot said that it is sad to hear that manual scavenging is not yet fully abolished.
He called on the state government to ensure relief and adequate compensation to next of kin of the three deceased.
