LUCKNOW: Five workers died and three others were injured after allegedly inhaling smoke from a malfunctioning paddy dryer machine at a rice mill in Bahraich, a district in central Uttar Pradesh, on Friday.
According to official sources, three other workers who fainted after inhaling smoke were rushed to the district hospital and are currently receiving treatment.
As per Bahraich DM Monika Rani, the workers were working on the paddy drying machine when smoke emanated from it, leading to the deaths.
The district administration has formed a joint investigation team to probe the incident.
Preliminary investigations suggested that a technical snag in the dryer machine caused it to emit smoke, which the workers, who had climbed onto the machine, inhaled, leading to suffocation.
Bahraich fire officer Vishal Gond said that he received information that a fire had broken out at Rajgariha Foods.
“We sent two fire tenders. We saw the smoke coming out of the dryer. Eight people climbed up to check the cause of the smoke. They inhaled it and became unconscious. The firefighting team brought them down and sent them to the hospital. Five of them died and three are under treatment,” said Gond.
Meanwhile, Rajgarhia Rice Mill director Vinod Agarwal claimed that the dryer was a fully automated plant and used to remove moisture from paddy using hot air generated by steam.
Agarwal stated that there was no possibility of smoke or fire in the machine. However, around 5 am, a worker reportedly noticed smoke inside the dryer. The exact cause of the smoke is yet to be determined.
After seeing the smoke, the worker switched off the machine and entered the plant to investigate. When this worker did not return, seven other workers entered the dryer one after another and got trapped, losing consciousness inside.
The mill workers alerted the fire brigade, which rescued the unconscious workers and rushed them to the hospital.
The joint investigation team that will probe the incident comprises the Chief Fire Officer, Assistant Labour Commissioner, General Manager of the District Industries Centre, and technical experts.
Additional Superintendent of Police Ramanand Prasad Kushwaha said that further legal action in the case would be decided on the basis of the findings of the probe report.
Kushwaha earlier said that several workers went to inspect the smoke emanating from the dryer.
Chief Medical Superintendent of the District Hospital Dr MM Tripathi said that five people were brought dead to the hospital, while three were undergoing treatment.
The deceased were identified as Rajesh Kumar, Bablu Prajapati, Gaffar (all from Kannauj), Zahoor from Shravasti, and Bittu Shah from Madhepura, Bihar.
The injured were identified as Surendra from Bahraich, Devi Prasad from Shravasti, and Sukhdev from Tarn Taran, Punjab.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has condoled the loss of lives in the incident.
The Chief Minister's Office said in a post on 'X' that Adityanath has directed the district administration officials to provide proper treatment to the injured. Police initiated further investigation into the incident.