Ahmedabad: Three workers collapse in sewer at UN Mehta centre, one critical

Ahmedabad: Three sanitation workers engaged in repair work inside an underground drainage line at UN Mehta Institute of Cardiology and Research Centre at the Civil Hospital campus on Monday evening collapsed after entering a sewage tank without safety gear.

One of them remains in critical condition, while the other two are stable, officials said.According to Ahmedabad Fire and Emergency Services (AFES), the incident was reported around 7.25pm after one worker lost consciousness and fell into a partially filled underground sewage tank at the centre’s basement. Two other workers entered the sewage tank to rescue him, but they too fainted.Teams from Shahpur and Naroda fire stations rushed to the hospital campus and rescued the three workers: Sahil Nadiya, Rocky Macwan and Pravin Vaghela, all aged between 20 and 25 years.Inspector J H Sindhav of Shahibaug police station said, “First, an outsourced housekeeping employee was made to enter the drainage line to repair an equipment. When he fainted, two others entered the line to save him, but they too fainted. Emergency services were alerted after which they were rescued and admitted to the hospital.”Station fire officer Bhavesh Rawat said two workers were stable while one remained in critical condition.

“They said they were instructed to repair a motor inside the drainage line. When they were repairing it, one of them slipped and fell and two others tried to rescue him. But all of them fainted. One of them was rescued by the staff at UN Mehta centre before we reached,” Rawat said.“When we rescued them, none of them was wearing a safety belt and nor did they have any safety equipment,” Rawat added.Entering underground drainage systems without protective gear, gas detection equipment and harnesses can expose workers to toxic gases and oxygen-deficient environments, often leading to fatal accidents, said Rawat. Police said the circumstances under which the workers were sent into the drainage line are being examined.