Surat: Four workers lost their lives due to inhaling toxic fumes at a chemical godown in Mota Borsara village of Mangrol taluka on Wednesday.

The deceased have been identified as Imtiyaz Patel (45), Amin Patel (22), Varun Vasava (22), and Ragha Ram (54). The incident occurred while five workers were in the process of moving chemical drums. All of them suddenly collapsed after one of them opened the lid of a drum, which caused inhalation of the toxic fumes. They were quickly rushed to a nearby hospital by their fellow workers. Unfortunately, four of the workers succumbed shortly after admission, while the fifth worker is safe, said Inspector J A Barot of Kosamba police station.

The owner of the godown has been taken into custody, and a case has been filed against him under section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the Indian Penal Code.

The exact nature of the chemical stored in the plastic drum is not immediately known. The Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB) officials are currently investigating the incident and will conduct an analysis of the drum’s contents. DeshGujarat