Tragedy struck in Pedda Kondamaari village located in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh as three workers lost their lives due to asphyxiation while cleaning an underground water tank on Friday, May 18. The victims were identified as Muni Raja (30), Ravi (42), and Venkata Ramana (30), all residents of Peddakondamaari village in the Chowdepalli mandal.
According to the police, the incident occurred when two workers noticed their co-worker unconscious inside the tank and immediately jumped in to rescue him. Unfortunately, all three of them succumbed to a lack of oxygen. The water tank had been unused for approximately eight months, and preliminary investigations suggest that the water was highly contaminated, possibly leading to the release of poisonous gases.
Chowdepalli Sub Inspector (SI) Ravi Kumar stated that there was no possibility of drowning since the water level in the tank was just 3 and a half feet deep. He explained that the workers entered the tank for cleaning purposes, and it is believed that they lost their lives due to inhalation of the toxic fumes.
SI Ravi Kumar further revealed that upon witnessing their colleague's unconscious state, two additional workers bravely entered the tank to rescue him. However, due to the limited space inside the tank, all three individuals were cramped together, inhaling the contaminated gases and depriving themselves of fresh air. As a result, they fell unconscious.
Local residents alerted the police, who arrived at the scene and, with the help of ropes, successfully pulled out the workers from the tank. The victims were rushed to the government hospital in Punganur, where medical professionals declared them deceased.
Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy, a Minister, expressed his condolences and personally visited the families of the deceased at the government hospital. Additionally, he announced an ex-gratia amount of Rs 5 lakh to be provided to each of the victims' families, along with an additional Rs 5 lakh under the YSR Bima scheme.