Four workers die after entering food waste chamber at Ujjain hotel

Four men died on the night of October 31 after entering a food waste chamber at Shri Ganga Hotel on Dewas Road in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh. District Collector Raushan Kumar Singh said two workers first entered the chamber, apparently to clean it. Two more entered afterward in an attempt to rescue them. All four were later declared dead at hospital. Two additional people who entered to help also fell ill and were admitted for treatment.

The deceased have been identified as Kamlesh Tamboli, 30, Nitin Binrawan or Wahid Khan, 28 or 29, Manoj Meena, 25, and a fourth man listed in some reports as Wahid from Somwariya. They were daily-wage workers brought in for the task. One of them, Kamlesh Tamboli, had taken the extra work around the Diwali period to supplement household income. Police said a gas accumulation inside the chamber likely caused the men to collapse. The floor was described as extremely slippery.

Ujjain Superintendent of Police Pradeep Sharma said the chamber held leftover food and residual waste. The opening could not be unlocked quickly. Police used a cutting machine brought from a nearby construction site to open the metal door. The rescue took about ninety minutes. Officers administered cardiopulmonary resuscitation on site, but the four men could not be revived. Three police personnel, including a sub-inspector, were injured during the operation.

A fifth cleaner named Hemraj entered the chamber, felt dizzy, and managed to exit. He survived. The bodies were sent for post-mortem examination at the district hospital. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav expressed grief and announced financial assistance of Rs 4 lakh for each of the four families. The hotel management has not issued a public statement on safety procedures.

The incident occurred around 10:30 or 11 pm. Local police and fire personnel reached the scene after the initial calls. Officials are investigating whether gas levels were checked before entry, whether protective equipment was provided, and whether standard confined-space protocols were followed. Food waste chambers can accumulate methane, hydrogen sulphide and other gases from decomposing organic matter. Without ventilation and gas detection, entry carries a high risk of asphyxiation or poisoning.

Similar confined-space deaths have occurred in India during cleaning of septic tanks, sewers and industrial vessels. Regulations require atmospheric testing, forced ventilation and continuous monitoring before workers enter such spaces. Compliance is uneven, particularly when private contractors or daily-wage labourers are hired for short tasks. The Ujjain case fits the pattern in which initial entrants collapse and would-be rescuers die in the same atmosphere.

Ujjain is a major pilgrimage centre. Hotels in the city handle large volumes of food waste during festival periods. The chamber at Shri Ganga Hotel was described as above-ground in some accounts and as a tank in others. The precise design and maintenance history have not been released. The collector said the administration would determine whether the men entered for cleaning or fell in accidentally.

Families of the deceased have begun the process of claiming the announced compensation. Post-mortem results will indicate the exact cause of death, most likely toxic gas inhalation or oxygen depletion. The investigation continues under the local police station. No criminal charges have been announced as of November 1.