Thiruvananthapuram: Two workers who were doing maintenance work in a drain suffocated, and a rickshaw driver who attempted to rescue them also died in north Kerala on Thursday.
The incident happened in Kozhikode on Thursday morning when two men, originally from Andhra Pradesh state, were working in one of the drains in the city.
The two workers were identified as Bhaskar and Narasimha. The man who attempted the rescue them was named as P. Naushad, an autorickshaw driver.
Naushad saw the two workers, who were engaged in repair works to the drain, fainting.
After seeing the pair struggling for breath, the rickshaw driver attempted to rescue them, but also fainted.
When Naushad also lost consciousness inside the drain, local traders informed the fire and rescue services.
After much effort, fire department staff took the three out of the drain, which was about 3.5 metres deep, but could not save their lives.
The Kozhikode district collector said an investigation would be conducted into the cause of the tragedy.
The incident happened around 11am at Palayam in Kozhikode.
