Mangaluru: Five workers from West Bengal have died of asphyxiation in a fish processing unit here, Mangaluru police Commissioner N Shashi Kumar said on Monday.
The incident occurred at Sri Ulka LLP, a fish processing unit in the Mangaluru Special Economic Zone at about 7 PM on Sunday, Kumar told reporters.
He said one of the workers fell inside the waste collection tank and fell unconscious inside it.
"To save him, seven other labourers entered the tank and they too fell unconscious. They were shifted to the AJ Hospital where three died last night. Two others died in the ICU this morning," Kumar said.
All of them are natives of West Bengal and aged between 20 and 22 years. Three others in the ICU are said to be out of danger, the police Commissioner said.
"We have registered a case under Section 304 of the IPC (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) against the manager and supervisor. Production manager Ruby Joseph, area manager Kuber Gade and supervisors Mohammed Anwar and Farukh have been taken into custody and are being interrogated," Kumar said.
"It's a very serious issue because five people have lost their lives," he added.
