Kanpur (UP): Three men died and another was critically injured after inhaling poisonous gas inside a newly constructed sewer tank in Akbarpur area of Kanpur Dehat district, police said on Sunday.
Superintendent of Police Arvind Mishra said the deaths occurred on Saturday due to toxic fumes inside the 10-feet-deep tank.
The injured individual is undergoing treatment, and an investigation is underway, he added.
Station House Officer (SHO) of Akbarpur Satish Singh said labourer Mubeen (26), a resident of Bigahi village, first entered the tank to remove shuttering material and collapsed due to suffocation.
Seeing him trapped, house owner Surendra Gupta alias Aman (22) and fellow labourer Sarvesh Kushwaha (32) also got down to rescue him but were overcome by the fumes.
Another youth, Israr (22), Mubeen’s brother, also jumped into the tank to save them but met the same fate.
Villagers rushed to the spot and managed to pull all four men out. They were taken to the district hospital, where doctors declared Mubeen, Sarvesh, and Surendra dead, while Israr remained in critical condition.
Locals alleged that the victims entered the sewer without any safety equipment.
The SHO said no FIR has been lodged yet and that the men had descended on their own to remove the shuttering.