Mumbai: Three labourers died due of suffocation after they were trapped in the septic tank of a Slum Rehabilitation Authority building at Ganeshwadi, Deonar East, on Monday afternoon.

The three men were untrained daily wagers and did not have the safety gear required to clean septic tanks. Senior Inspector Balasaheb Kedare from Govandi police station said, "The incident took place in the afternoon when Bisavjit Debnath, 32, (one of the deceased), entered the tank along with his two friends and was trapped.

"The trio died of suffocation, police said. The other two deceased have been identified as Santosh Prabhakar Kalsekar, 45, and Govind Sangram Chortiya, 34."We will register three separate accidental death reports (ADR). Further investigation is underway," Kedare said.

According to police, the incident occurred around 1pm in Maurya building, Ganeshwadi, when the private labourers, descended into a septic tank to clean it. The trio were pulled out unconscious, by a team from the fire brigade.

They were rushed to Shatabdi Hospital in Govandi East, where they were declared dead on arrival.“ At first, one of the three entered the tank. When he did not return, the second one dived in. He too failed to show up and so the third worker went in.

When residents noted that all three workers had disappeared, they informed police and the fire brigade, who retrieved the three men and rushed them to hospital.

We pay water, property and other taxes to the municipal corporation, so it should be a rule that even private buildings should approach the BrihMC before undertaking such work, which should also be carried out in the presence of BMC officials,” said Vaishali Shewale, chairman o