CHENNAI: It took just a few minutes for six people to fall dead, one after another, when noxious gas emanating from a septic tank hit them, at Sriperumpudur, 40km from Chennai, on Tuesday. The victims included a man and his two sons.It started with trader Krishnamurthy, who had engaged a sewage clearing truck to pump out sewage from his sump, peeped inside the tank and got asphyxiated instantly. It triggered a chain of tragedies. On hearing Krishnamurthy’s cries for help, his elder son Kannan (30) rushed to rescue and he fainted too. His younger son Karthik (20) too got asphyxiated when he tried to pull out his father and brother.Preliminary inquiries revealed that Krishnamurthy peeped into the pit after the truck had pumped out a load of muck and gone to unload it.Among the victims was one M Ramesh of Arani, who happened to be at Krishnamurthy’s shop, when he heard the screams. He rushed to rescue the shop owner, but he too died of asphyxiation. Two tenants staying at Krishnamurthy’s house -- Lakshmikanth and Surabai, both from Odisha -- tried to pull them out, but got asphyxiated, taking the toll to six.The whole incident happened in a span of a few minutes at around 1pm. Neighbours informed police, fire and rescue personnel. Kancheepuram district superintendent of police Santhosh Haidmeni and assistant superintendent of police Rajesh Khanna rushed to the spot and held an inquiry.

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