2 workers die after inhaling toxic gas inside tank

New Delhi: Two workers died after apparently inhaling toxic gas when they entered a tank of a flour mill in northwest Delhi, police said on Wednesday. The investigating agency said that they have arrested two persons including the owner in the case.

The fire department was alerted about a gas leakage in Keshav Puram area around 9.20 pm on Tuesday and six fire tenders rushed to the spot. Two persons were found unconscious and the rescue operation lasted for almost five hours, officials said.

The duo was rushed to a hospital where they were declared dead. The deceased have been identified as Baibal Khan, 35, and Mobin Khan, 30, residents of Jaipur, the police said.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Northwest) Vijayanta Arya said that the owner of the mill, Paras, and supervisor Anoop have been arrested. A case under Section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) has been registered.

The two workers had entered a tank used in the mill to clean it. The family member's of deceased said that Bebal and Mobin did not have the job to clean tank. "First Mobin entered but when he did not give any response Baibal entered the tank," said Baibal's brother Habib Khan adding that later Bebal also lost his consciousness.

The family further alleged that both the deceased's did not get oxygen and help at the right time otherwise they might have survived.

Another relative Imamudin said that deceased job was not to clean the tank. "His owner told him to clean the tank. Baibal was responsible for the quality supply of food items in the market," further said the relative adding that they were not provided safety equipment.

The family of Mobin said that he was the only bread and butter earner. "Mobin was about to live today or tomorrow to his native place for his mother treatment but now he is dead," said Kallu Khan, Mobin's relative.

According to family members, the tank in which they have entered was closed for several months due to which there was poisonous gas inside. The post-mortem of the bodies have been conducted and the police are trying to ascertain the nature of the gas, the officer added.