CHENNAI: A 28-year-old worker died and another admitted to hospital in critical condition after they were allegedly exposed to toxic gas while cleaning a 60-foot-deep well in a house near Guduvanchery on Thursday afternoon.
The deceased has been identified as Vinoth (28). The other worker, Prabhu (25), is undergoing treatment in the intensive care unit at the Chengalpattu Government Hospital.
The police said the incident occurred at the house of Sivaprakasam on the Muthumariamman Koil Street in Kamarajapuram. The well had dried up during the summer, prompting the house owner to have it desilted and deepened. Through a private agent, Vinoth and Prabhu were engaged for the work, the police said.
The duo entered the well on Thursday afternoon but failed to return. The residents later found both men lying unconscious. Fire and Rescue Services personnel from Maraimalai Nagar shifted them to the Chengalpattu Government Hospital in a 108 ambulance. The Guduvanchery police recovered Vinoth’s body and sent it for postmortem.