Coimbatore: In a tragic incident, four laborers hailing from Assam while cleaning an effluent tank at a textile factory in Tirupur died of asphyxiation. All the deceased were in their 20s. One of them entered the 20-foot deep tank and got suffocated, the police said. Seeing this, the three others got in to help and suffered the same fate resulting in the death of three in the tank, while another died in hospital, they said.

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The deceased have been identified as Anwar Hussain Barbhuiya (24), Farooq Ahmed (22), Abu (21) and Dilwar Hussain Barbhuiya (23). The four men were from Cachar in Assam and were working in the unit. The four men were asked to clean the tank, which had not been cleaned for at least five years. According to media reports, one of them got suffocated after entering the 20-foot deep tank and the others entered to help. Three of them passed away inside the tank while the fourth person died in a hospital.

A case has been registered against the factory owner, Jayakumar and investigations revealed that the tank had not been cleaned for the last four years. The police have booked Jayakumar under sections 287 (Negligent conduct with respect to machinery) and 304A (Causing death by negligence) of the IPC. The Corporation Commissioner of Tiruppur also assured investigation into the incident and sensitization of factory-owners about the machines that can do the scavenging work.

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