BENGALURU: Three men were asphyxiated to death when they entered a manhole to carry out underground drainage linking work in Ramanagara Town on Friday. It is alleged that no safety measures were taken during the work and three people, including the contractor, have been arrested. The deceased are Manjunath, Rajesh and Manjunath, all residents of Kamalanagar in Bengaluru, and aged between 30-35 years.
Police said that the one of the victims entered the manhole located behind the Netaji Popular English School in Ramanagara Town. When he didn’t come out after some time, the two others entered the manhole to check. All three were asphyxiated, police said.“The fire and emergency department rushed to the spot and brought the three men out. The workers were rushed to Ramanagara District Hospital, where they were declared brought dead,” the police said.
It is said that the contractor, Harish, had not provided any safety equipment. “There was also a delay in reporting the matter to the authorities. The workers were inside the manhole for more than 30 minutes. If they had got help in time, they would have survived,” an officer said.