4 workers die after inhaling toxic gas while cleaning hotel waste chamber in Ujjain

Four workers died after inhaling toxic gas while cleaning a food waste chamber at a private hotel in Madhya Pradesh's Ujjain late on Saturday night. Two others, who were involved in the rescue operation, also fell ill after being exposed to the toxic gas and were rushed to hospital.The incident took place at Shri Ganga Hotel, where workers had entered an underground food waste chamber to clean it. The police and district administration rushed to the spot after receiving information about the accident and launched a rescue operation.HOW THE ACCIDENT HAPPENEDAccording to the information available, the hotel has a large food waste collection chamber that stores waste generated by its operations, including food residue, water, syrup, ghee and oil remnants. Workers were cleaning the chamber late on Saturday night when one of them reportedly slipped and fell inside.As others attempted to rescue him, they too fell into the chamber one after another. Toxic gas had accumulated inside the confined space, causing the workers to lose consciousness. Within a short time, panic broke out at the hotel. Personnel from Madhav Nagar police station reached the spot and began rescue efforts. They initially tried to break open the chamber using hammers and later brought in cutting machines to gain access to those trapped inside.However, the gas inside the chamber was so toxic that members of the rescue team who entered it also began feeling unwell. They were immediately taken to the district hospital for treatment. After considerable effort, the team managed to break open the waste chamber and pull out the trapped workers. The victims were also administered CPR before being shifted to the hospital.HOTEL MANAGEMENT UNDER INVESTIGATIONUjjain Collector, SP and other senior officials reached the spot following the incident.Ujjain SP Pradeep Sharma confirmed that four people died due to suffocation after inhaling toxic gas inside the chamber. He also said that two people who entered the chamber to rescue the trapped workers were affected by the gas and taken to hospital after their condition deteriorated.Meanwhile, hotel operator Chetan Gupta said the chamber was being cleaned using a motor. However, when something got stuck, workers entered the chamber to remove the obstruction. He claimed that one worker slipped and fell inside, following which others fell in while attempting to save him.The police have initiated an investigation into whether the hotel management sent workers into the chamber without adequate safety equipment. SP Sharma said that the investigation was underway and strict action would be taken against those found responsible if any negligence in ensuring safety measures was established.- Ends(With inputs from Sundeep Kulshreshtha)