2 min readPuneApr 26, 2026 10:41 PM ISTThe incident took place around 4.30 pm at a mushroom company in Belsar village of Purandar taluka, under the jurisdiction of Jejuri police station. (File Photo)Three workers died of suspected suffocation after entering a drainage tank at a mushroom cultivation unit in Pune’s Purandar taluka on Sunday afternoon, police said. Officials said that the incident occurred after one of the workers entered the drainage for cleaning and two others entered for rescue after the worker did not come out.The incident took place around 4.30 pm at a mushroom company in Belsar village of Purandar taluka, under the jurisdiction of Jejuri police station.According to police, one of the workers had entered a tank to clean a drainage line carrying wastewater from the unit. When he did not come out, a second worker entered the tank to check on him, followed by a third.“All three workers failed to return, after which nearby persons rushed to the spot and broke open the slab of the drainage tank using an earthmover to pull them out,” an officer from Jejuri police station said. The three men were taken to the Jejuri Rural Hospital, where doctors declared them dead on arrival.Police said prima facie the workers are suspected to have died after inhaling toxic gases that had accumulated inside the tank, leading to suffocation and unconsciousness.The deceased have been identified as Pintu Rajesh Prasad (23), Vyas Soham Kumar (22) and Gautam Ramsuran Kushwaha (36), all residents of Deoria district of Uttar Pradesh.Police have registered a case of accidental death and further investigation is underway.Postmortem examinations of the bodies were being conducted, officials said.Click here to join Express Pune WhatsApp channel and get a curated list of our stories© The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:puneAdvertisementLoading Recommendations...