File photo of workers cleaning a sewer manually in New Delhi.
Credit: PTI Photo
New Delhi: Two workers died while cleaning a septic tank here on Friday, suspectedly after they inhaled poisonous gas, police said.
According to a police officer, the incident took place at around 1 pm in Jasola village in southeast Delhi's Sarita Vihar area.
Soon after receiving a call about the incident, the local police rushed to the spot and found that two men who had been hired for cleaning the septic tank were trapped inside, the officer said.
The fire department was called and both persons were brought out of the tank. They were taken to a hospital where doctors declared them dead, he said.
The officer said the men were hired by one Iqbal Singh, a resident of the area.
One of the deceased has been identified as Raj Prakash Singh (60), who worked as the driver of a tractor that was used during the cleaning of the tank, he said.
The other deceased is yet to be identified, he added.
The police said a case is being registered and further investigation in the matter is underway.