CHENNAI: A 24-year-old worker from Odisha died and four others were hospitalised after inhaling toxic gas inside a water tank at an ethanol unit in Tiruvallur district, police said on Monday.
The deceased was identified as M Dananth Jaya Malik, employed at SLB Ethanol Private Limited at the SIPCOT Industrial Estate in Thervoy Kandigai near Gummidipoondi.
According to police, Malik, along with Sagar Das, Subrath Kumar, Mano Rangan Das (all from Odisha) and supervisor P Mullai Vendhan of Thandalam village, had entered the tank on Sunday evening for routine maintenance work.
Sources said water tanks in ethanol plants may contain residual waste, including chemical traces and sludge that can release toxic gases in enclosed spaces. The workers allegedly fainted after entering the tank with ankle-deep water due to a suspected gas leak.
The factory management rescued all five and rushed them to a private hospital in Manjankaranai. Malik, who was in a critical condition, died while being shifted to a private hospital in Chennai for further treatment.
The other four were later admitted to Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital.
Their condition is said to be stable. The Pathirivedu police registered a case and sent the body to Stanley Government Hospital for postmortem.