Worker fixing fault in NFC sewer dies, 2 hurt

'No masks, safety gear'

- HT Correspondent

NEW DELHI: A 43-year-old worker died, while his brother and their cousin's nephew were injured after entering a manhole in southeast Delhi's New Friends Colony on Sunday evening.

Police said the victims were contractual workers of the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) and were sent to repair a leakage. But the water utility has denied any connection to the incident and maintained that the workers were neither their regular staff nor their contractual workers. It also stated that there was "no ongoing works for cleaning of the sewer on Sunday".

The incident occurred at the roundabout in the New Friends Colony West. According to police, the deceased, Panth Lal Chander, entered the manhole to rescue his brother Ramkishan Chander (37) and their cousin's nephew Shiv Das (25), who were trapped by toxic fumes while repairing the leakage.

Police said the control room received a call around 4 pm from locals reporting that workers had collapsed inside a manhole.