Four labourers die of asphyxiation in septic tank

Four labourers died due to asphyxiation and another labourer fell unconscious after entering a newly constructed septic tank in Bihar's Saharsa district today, police said.

The incident happened at Sonvarsha Raj Bazar under the jurisdiction of Sonvarsha police station when the labourers had entered the septic tank this morning to remove the scaffolding, the Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) of Saharsa Sadar, Shambhunath Jha, said.

The labourers died of suffocation as the septic tank was filled with carbon dioxide gas, Kumar Vivekanand, a doctor at Sonvarsha Primary Health Centre, said.

The deceased were identified as 26-year-old Manoj Kumar, 28-year-old Rakesh Biswas, 20-year-old Sujit Kumar 22-year-old Mukesh Kumar, the SDO said, adding, the labourer who fell unconscious after entering the septic tank was admitted to the Sadar hospital.

All the labourers were the residents of Sonvarsha Bazar, he said, adding the bodies were sent to the Sadar hospital for post-mortem examination.