Pune Tragedy: Three Workers Die of Toxic Gas While Cleaning Tank at Mushroom Company
Pune Tragedy: Three Workers Die of Toxic Gas While Cleaning Tank at Mushroom Company
Pune, April 27, 2026: In a tragic incident near Pune, three workers lost their lives after allegedly suffocating due to toxic gas while cleaning a drainage tank at a mushroom processing unit in Belesar.
According to initial reports, the incident occurred at a private company identified as ‘Wada Agro Mushroom,’ where routine cleaning of a wastewater drainage tank was underway. One worker first entered the tank but did not return for a long time, raising concern among colleagues. In an attempt to check on him, a second worker descended into the tank, followed by a third when both failed to respond.
All three workers reportedly became unconscious inside the tank due to the presence of toxic gases.
Panic spread among other workers when none of the three men came out. Efforts to contact them failed, prompting emergency action. A JCB machine was brought in to break open the concrete slab covering the tank, after which the workers were pulled out and rushed to a nearby hospital in Jejuri. However, doctors declared all three dead on arrival.
The deceased have been identified as Pintu Rajesh Prasad (23), Vyas Soham Kumar (22), and Gautam Ramsuran Kushwaha (36), all residents of Deoria district in Uttar Pradesh.
Preliminary findings suggest that hazardous gases had accumulated inside the tank due to waste decomposition and heat, leading to suffocation. The incident has once again raised serious concerns over workplace safety and the lack of protective measures during hazardous operations.
Police from the Jejuri Police Station have launched an investigation into the matter to determine responsibility and ensure accountability.
