Surat : Four Migrant workers asphyxiated at textile mill

Surat : Four migrant labourers hailing from Bihar lost their lives due to asphyxiation while cleaning a septic tank at a textile dyeing and printing mill near Baleshwar village on the Palsana-Kadodara road in Surat district. The deceased fell victim to a fatal accident at Kiran Industries on a fateful Tuesday evening.

In an inhumane conduct, the remains of two of the four dead workers were transported in the tempo without being shrouded. The bodies were carried 25 km away from Surat’s New Civil Hospital (NCH) to an unidentified site.

Surat rural police have come under fire for failing to file charges against the proprietors of Kiran Industries Private Limited in connection with the terrible incident.

The incident unfolded when the four workers ventured into the depths of a 25-feet-deep septic tank for a routine cleaning exercise. Tragically, they succumbed to unconsciousness within the tank, prompting two others who attempted a rescue mission to also lose consciousness.

Emergency response teams from the ERC fire station at Kamrej and Bardoli swiftly mobilized to the location upon receiving the distress call. Diligently working against time, firefighters managed to extract all four workers—identified as Rajesh, Kamlesh, Sehnwaz, and Deepak—from the septic tank. Despite their efforts, the workers remained unconscious and were tragically declared deceased by the 108 emergency team.

Preliminary information from fire department sources revealed that the workers had entered the septic tank without proper safety gear, indicating a glaring oversight in safety protocols. It was disclosed that the deceased, employed as daily wage laborers, had been promised a substantial sum by the textile mill owner for the hazardous task of cleaning the deep tank.

Further details emerged regarding the nature of the tank’s contents: it collected hazardous wastewater from the textile dyeing mill, which underwent a recycling process before disposal. However, the accumulation of chemical waste at the tank’s base necessitated an annual cleaning operation, a perilous task exacerbated by the presence of gases generated within the tank.

The tragic deaths of the four workers were attributed to suffocation caused by the gases accumulated during the cleaning process. This incident has brought to light the critical importance of stringent safety measures in hazardous working environments and the pressing need for employers to ensure the protection and well-being of their labor force.

Authorities have initiated investigations into the circumstances surrounding the incident and are focusing on holding accountable those responsible for the negligence that led to this heartbreaking loss of lives. As the community mourns this grievous tragedy, it serves as a stark reminder of the hazards faced by laborers in certain industries and the imperative need for comprehensive safety protocols to prevent such tragic accidents in the future.