2 killed, 3 injured as CO₂ leaks during maintenance at Talegaon MIDC unit in Pune

PUNE: Two workers died and three were hospitalised after carbon dioxide (CO₂) leaked from a firefighting system during maintenance work at a multinational corporation (MNC) plant in Talegaon Maharashtra industrial development corporation (MIDC) area on Tuesday afternoon.

Police said both the deceased were employees of a private firm engaged in maintenance of the firefighting system of the automotive MNC, headquartered in Germany. Of the three injured, two are employees of the company, while the third is a worker from the maintenance agency.

The deceased were identified as Gaurishankar Sharma (38), a resident of Ambi in Maval taluka, and Vaibhav Thorat (24), a resident of Chikhali area in Pimpri Chinchwad.

The gas leak occurred around 12.30pm when the workers were servicing the firefighting system. During the process, the safety pin of a CO₂ cylinder was allegedly removed, triggering a sudden release of gas under high pressure.

Police said it appeared that Sharma and Thorat inhaled a large quantity of the gas and died of suffocation. The three others managed to move away from the area. They were taken to a nearby hospital when they complained of breathing difficulty.

Senior inspector Santosh Patil of Talegaon MIDC police station said, “An accidental death report will be registered. The three injured workers are stable and likely to be discharged on Wednesday.”

Patil said the company’s manufacturing operations were on in the afternoon, while the maintenance work was being carried out in a room housing the firefighting system. “Entry to the room is prohibited for other employees. Hence, the gas leak did not affect the other employees,” he said.

The maintenance agency had deployed trained professionals for the job. Prima facie, the gas leak appears to be accidental, the officer said.

An official statement from the company was awaited at the time of going to press. Sources said the company’s headquarters in Germany has taken note of the incident and are closely monitoring the situation. They added that all assistance and support were being extended to the injured workers.

According to the company’s official website, its plant in Talegaon was set up in 2001. It specialises in rolling bearings and precision parts for a wide range of applications in the automotive industry, motorcycles, precision equipment, machine tools and material handling.