Chennai:Three contract workers suffocated to death while cleaning a wastewater treatment tank at the Tata Electronics Private Limited (TEPL) facility in Hosur in this district, police said on Tuesday. The deceased -- Kaveri (30) of Hosur, alongside B Akmal (28) and M Sarathi Kumar (28), both hailing from Dharmapuri district -- were exposed to lethal poisonous fumes and severe oxygen depletion while desilting an Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP) storage tank on Monday evening. According to police, Akmal initially peered into the tank to inspect it, only to collapse immediately from gas exposure. Attempting a rescue, Kaveri directed Sarathi Kumar to check on their fallen colleague, but he fainted upon entry.

Fire engulfs hill in

J-K's Kishtwar

Jammu:A massive fire engulfed a mountain slope in Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar, and was brought under control on Tuesday morning after an 11-hour-long joint operation, an official of the Fire and Emergency Services said. No casualties were reported in the fire that caused extensive damage to plants, with dry grass accelerating the spread of the flames. Nearly 1,000 kanals (125 acres) of state land were affected by the fire in Trigam, around 25 km from Kishtwar district headquarters, in-charge, Fire Station Headquarters, Kishtwar, Farooq Ahmad Mir said. The fire broke out in the foothills at around 6:54 PM on Monday and spread uphill, posing a threat to the villages of Palan and Pedal.

'Very poor' air

quality in parts

of Haryana

Chandigarh:The air quality in some parts of Haryana was recorded in the 'very poor' category on Tuesday, Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data showed. At 9 am, the Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 350 in Kaithal, 321 in Gurugram, 307 in Faridabad and 304 in Bahadurgarh. Some other parts of the state recorded 'poor' air quality. The AQI was 261 in Rohtak, 296 in Charkhi Dadri, 217 in Jind, 269 in Ambala, 213 in Bhiwani, 299 in Hisar and 243 in Panipat, according to the CPCB.