Four workers die of toxic gas while cleaning garbage chamber at Ujjain hotel

A heart-wrenching accident took place in Madhya Pradesh's Ujjain district on Saturday night, where four people died due to toxic gas while cleaning the waste chamber (food waste tank) of 'Shri Ganga Hotel' located on Dewas Road. The accident reportedly occurred at around 10.30 pm on Saturday night. According to reports by Ameer Ajala and Hindustan Times, one hotel staff member and three workers brought from outside for work died in this tragedy.

Ujjain Superintendent of Police (SP) Pradeep Sharma stated that hotel staff members and some private individuals brought for cleaning had entered the above-ground chamber used for collecting food waste. During this time, due to toxic gas and a slippery surface inside the chamber, they became unconscious. According to reports, initially two persons descended into the tank for cleaning, after which two other persons also went inside in an attempt to rescue them, resulting in the deaths of a total of four people. The Superintendent of Police further added that all these workers had entered the tank without necessary safety equipment.

Madhav Nagar police station in-charge Gajendra Pachoriya stated that a cutting machine had to be used to open the iron door of the chamber during the rescue operation. After a long and difficult rescue operation of about 90 minutes, all four persons were brought out. Police personnel also tried to give them CPR to revive them, but they could not be saved. Meanwhile, a police sub-inspector was also injured during the rescue operation. Some people sustained injuries during the rescue work due to the iron mesh on the chamber.

At the time of the accident, a fifth sanitation worker named Hemraj entered the chamber to rescue the four people, but due to breathing difficulty and dizziness, he managed to come out. Two other persons who went inside to rescue the trapped workers also fell ill and were admitted to the hospital for treatment. The deceased have been identified as Wahid Khan (29), Nitin Binarwan (28), Kamlesh Tamboli (30) - who are local residents, and hotel supervisor Manoj Meena (25) - who is a resident of Jhalawar, Rajasthan. The bodies of the deceased have been sent for post-mortem.

Ujjain Collector Roshan Kumar Singh stated that this tragedy took place on the hotel premises where there was a tank to keep food waste. He said that details of how this incident happened are being gathered. An official of the health department of the Ujjain Municipal Corporation informed that this hotel had not obtained the mandatory receipt for cleaning from the municipality. Currently, the Ujjain Police and Municipal Corporation are investigating this matter and the hotel management and staff are being interrogated.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav expressed deep grief over this incident. He stated on the platform X that the tragic deaths of four people during the cleaning of a chamber in a private hotel are extremely painful. He has announced an amount of ₹4 lakh as financial aid to the families of the deceased. On the other hand, the families of the deceased have demanded strict action against the hotel owner.