Chennai: In a freak accident, a 38-year-old army man was asphyxiated inside a battle tank after a gas leak inside the tank in the Heavy Vehicles Factory in Avadi on Wednesday morning. The deceased has been identified as R. Siva Sakthi Vel, a hawildar.
On Wednesday morning, around 11 am, he was taking the Soviet made T 72 battle tank on a test run when the accident happened. Police sources said that a gas leak from a cylinder inside the tank led to nauseous gases and Sakthi Vel fell unconscious. He couldn’t operate the emergency exit to get out of the vehicle. Fellow men rushed to his aid after they noticed his tank was not showing any movements.
Sakthivel failed to respond to the messages on the wireless set too. Police investigations revealed that the Hawildar had been alone inside the tank. Senior officials rushed to the scene based on information and rescued Sakthi Vel from the vehicle. He was moved to a hospital where he was declared brought dead. Avadi Tank Factory Police registered a case and are investigating. An internal enquiry has also been ordered, police said.
A native of Kadamalaigundu village near Andipatti in Theni district, Siva Sakthi Vel joined the army 18 years ago. He is survived by wife Subbulakshmi and two children.
