Four Indian-origin Sikh men drown in sewage tank in Italy
Rome, Sep 13: Four Indian-origin Sikh men drowned in a sewage tank on a cattle farm in northern Italy due to the carbon dioxide fumes coming out from the cow manure, according to media reports.
The incident happened on Thursday at a cattle farm in Arena Po near Pavia, a city in south Milan, ANSA news agency reported on Thursday.
Out of the deceased, two were brothers- Prem, 48, and Tarsem Singh, 45- who were running the farm. The duo registered their farm in 2017.
The other two were workers, identified as Arminder Singh, 29, and Manjinder Singh, 28.
Initial investigations reveal that the three men jumped to rescue a worker who was emptying the tank to use the manure as a fertiliser on the farm's fields, the BBC reported.
Investigators suspect that the four died due to the carbon dioxide fumes coming from the cow manure, the report said.
The victims' wives raised the alarm when the men failed to turn up for lunch.
They rushed to the scene and spotted one body in the sewage.
The women then called in the firefighters, who donned masks and emptied the tank to recover all the bodies, the report said.
Italian media reported that the farm, which produces milk and veal cattle, is one of the biggest in the Pavia region.
The Italian Agriculture Minister Teresa Bellanova in a tweet condoled the deaths, saying "safety at work is an inalienable right and we must make every effort to ensure it is respected". She was a farm labourer herself as a teenager.
Italy's public broadcaster Rai said the Arena Po tragedy brings to 486 the total of deaths in work accidents in Italy this year - the highest toll since 2016, the BBC report said.
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13 lakh litres of 'Rail Neer' supplied to train passengers daily: Government
New Delhi (PTI): Approximately 13 lakh litres of packaged drinking water -- 'Rail Neer' -- are being supplied to train passengers across the railway network daily, the government informed the Lok Sabha in a written reply on Wednesday.
Apprising the Lower House about the Indian Railways' endeavour to provide safe and potable drinking water facilities at all stations, the government also provided zone-wise details of the water vending machines (WVMs) installed there.
"To ensure the quality of drinking water being made available at the railway stations, instructions exist for periodical checking and required corrective action to be taken.
"Regular inspection and maintenance of drinking water facilities is carried out and complaints are attended to promptly," Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said while responding to a question raised by BJP MP Anup Sanjay Dhotre seeking to know the supply of drinking water at railway stations across the country
"Complaints regarding deficiency in services, including water supply, are received through various channels such as public complaints, web portals, social media, etc. These complaints are received at various levels, including the Railway Board, zonal railways, division office, etc.," Vaishnaw said.
"The complaints so received are forwarded to the concerned wings of Railways and necessary action is taken to check and address them. As receipt of such complaints and action taken thereon is a continuous and dynamic process, a centralised compendium of these is not maintained," he added.
Providing zone-wise details of water vending machines, the minister said 954 such machines have been installed across railway stations.
"The Indian Railways also provides safe and affordable packaged drinking water bottles -- Rail Neer -- approved by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) in trains and at stations," Vaishnaw said.
"Approximately, 13 lakh litres of Rail Neer are being supplied per day to the travelling passengers in trains and at stations across the Indian Railways network," he added.
