Three steel plant workers drown in Karnataka's Bellary while inspecting faulty pipeline

The incident occurred around 5pm on Thursday when after a disruption in the power supply had halted the flow of water through a tunnel.

Three workers of a steel plant in Toranagal, Bellary, drowned when water was suddenly released in the tunnel while they were conducting an inspection of a faulty pipeline, police said on Friday.

While repairing the faulty pipeline, the three workers drowned when water was suddenly released into the tunnel. (File photo)

The police said the incident took place on Thursday when after a disruption in the power supply had halted the flow of water through a tunnel, the three men were called to conduct an inspection into the tunnel.

However, while repairing the faulty pipeline, they drowned when water was suddenly released into the tunnel. Despite their efforts to escape, the torrential deluge swept them away, hurling them into separate tanks situated at depths of 70 to 80 feet below ground level, the police said.

The water tunnels, integral to the steel manufacturing process, serve as conduits for cooling hot iron rods, with excess water stored in various tanks within the facility.

The deceased, identified as Panthi Jadeppa (31), resident of Hospet, Shivamagadev (22), resident of Chennai in Tamil Nadu, and Sushant Krishna Nainaru (23), resident of Bengaluru. They were part of the company’s civil department.