Two workers die after collapsing in pit in papaya unit near Udumalpet

TIRUPUR: Two workers from Odisha died on way to hospital after collapsing in a tank filled with salt water and tiny bits of papaya at a tutti fruiti factory near Udumalpet on Tuesday.

Police said Rohit Digal, 25, and Arun Omango, 28, had been working with St Joseph’s Agro Industries in Anthiyur village for the past five years. On Tuesday morning, the two followed their usual routine and got into the tank that had five feet of salt water. The papaya bits are soaked in the brine to firm them up before they are boiled in sugar syrup to make tutti fruiti used in cakes and bread.

When they did not come out after a long time, supervisor Hariharan, who was the only other person at the unit, checked and found them unconscious inside the tank.

Hariharan alerted the fire and rescue services whose personnel rushed to the spot and pulled out the two workers. They were given first aid and rushed to Udumalpet govt hospital. However, both died on way to the hospital.

“Postmortem will be conducted on Wednesday, after which the exact cause of death will be known. No safety measures were in place at the unit. A forensic team from Tirupur has collected water samples from the tank for analysis,” said an officer.

The Udumalpet police have registered a case against Hariharan and further investigation is on.