Four Hotel Workers Die After Inhaling Toxic Gas While Cleaning Waste Chamber In Ujjain

Four people died after allegedly inhaling toxic gas while cleaning an underground food waste chamber at a hotel on Dewas Road in Madhya Pradesh's Ujjain on Saturday night.

The incident occurred when an outsourced worker entered the chamber located behind the hotel but failed to come out. Three others later went inside to rescue him. All four are suspected to have lost consciousness due to a possible gas leak and died.

The deceased have been identified as Wahid, Manoj, Kamlesh, and Nitin. Police and administrative teams reached the hotel after receiving information about the incident. The four people were pulled out of the chamber and taken to a hospital.

"An unfortunate incident has been reported at the hotel premises. It appears there is a tank for food waste; two individuals entered it, presumably for cleaning purposes. Subsequently—for reasons yet to be determined—two more people entered the tank in an attempt to rescue them. In total, it is reported that four individuals have lost their lives," District Collector Raushan Kumar Singh told ANI.

Four People Die During Rescue Attempt

A chamber had been constructed in the rear section of Shree Ganga Hotel to collect and dispose of leftover food waste. According to preliminary information, an outsourced employee entered the chamber late at night to carry out cleaning or other work but got trapped inside.

Ujjain SP Pradeep Sharma said hotel employees and some people called in from outside to carry out the work had entered the chamber used for food waste disposal. He said a gas leak was suspected at this stage.

The gas had also allegedly made the chamber floor slippery, causing people to fall and lose consciousness. Those who entered the chamber to rescue them also fainted, Sharma said.

Police personnel attempted to revive the victims by administering CPR, while a medical team was placed on standby at the hospital.

The SP said that four people remained in critical condition and were shifted to a hospital by ambulance.

Investigation Underway

District Collector Raushan Kumar Singh said the circumstances leading to the deaths are being investigated.

Police and administrative officials have begun a probe to establish how the incident occurred and whether safety protocols were followed.

District Collector Singh said officials were collecting further information to establish the circumstances and sequence of events.

"Further details regarding the circumstances and the exact nature of how this incident unfolded are currently being gathered," he said.

Shree Ganga Hotel has been operating for around 10 years, while the firm associated with it has reportedly been doing business in Ujjain for the past 50 years.