Four die while cleaning septic tank in Bihar

Patna, Sep. 9 (IANS): Four labourers died on Saturday after they were exposed to poisonous gas inside a septic tank in Bihar's Siwan district, police said. "Four labourers died in the newly-built septic tank in an under construction building in Nai Basti under Mahadeva Police outpost in Siwan," a police official said. Police said that the labourers died due to suffocation after they climbed into the septic tank to remove construction material. According to police officials, the labourers were later pulled out of the septic tank and taken to a local hospital where they were declared dead. Siwan District Magistrate Mahender Kumar said prime facie, it is suspected that they died of suffocation inside the septic tank. "The district administration will provide a compensation to victims' family under disaster management," he added. A case has been registered in connection with the incident.