Maha: Three labourers die while cleaning septic tank

Three labourers died of suffocation while cleaning the septic tank of a bungalow in Virar town of Maharashtra's Palghar district, police said on Saturday.

The Arnala police arrested Hemant Gharat after three out of four labourers he had hired to clean the septic tank of his bungalow on Friday, died of suffocation because of the toxic gases, an official said.

Gharat himself rescued the labourers from the tank and rushed them to a nearby hospital, where three of them were declared dead on arrival and one was undergoing treatment, he said.

The men were not given proper protective gear and the accused did not ensure their safety by making them work in an enclosed tank, the official said.

The deceased have been identifyed as Narayan Boye, Jayendra Mukne and Tejas Bhate, who were all in their 20s, he said, adding that Nitesh Mukne survived the mishap because he was at the entrance of the chamber.

The accused has been charged under sections 304A (causing death by negligence) and other relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code, the official added.