2 Indore municipal workers die after inhaling toxic gas, kin to get ₹30 lakh compensation

Two municipal workers died of asphyxiation due to toxic gas exposure while cleaning a sewerage chamber in Indore on Monday night, police said.

The incident took place in front of the Devi Ahilyabai Holkar fruit and vegetable market. According to Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police Sumit Kerkatta, a pipe attached to a sewer suction machine broke and fell into the chamber during the cleaning operation. One of the workers entered the chamber to retrieve the pipe and fell unconscious after inhaling toxic fumes . Another worker went down in an attempt to rescue him but also lost consciousness.

Both workers died inside the chamber. Their bodies were later retrieved with the help of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) , police said.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Shrikrishna Lalchandani identified the deceased as Karan Yadav and Ajay Dodi .

In a late-night press release, the Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) stated that Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has directed that ₹30 lakh be provided as financial assistance to the family of each deceased worker. The IMC release claimed that the workers died while releasing water from a municipal vehicle into a drainage line chamber after emptying a septic tank.

However, an eyewitness, Amit Rajak, alleged that the two sanitation workers had entered the sewerage chamber without safety equipment . He further claimed that police personnel, municipal officials and ambulances did not reach the spot even two hours after the incident, following which passersby attempted to pull the workers out of the chamber.

The incident has once again raised concerns over safety protocols during sewer cleaning operations in the city.