Bodies of two contract workers who fell into sewage tank in Coimbatore retrieved after overnight rescue

Rescue teams recover the bodies of two contract workers from a sewage tank in Coimbatore after overnight operations.

The bodies of two contract workers of the Coimbatore Corporation, who fell into a sewage pumping station tank at Saibaba Colony on Friday (April 3, 2026), were recovered after prolonged rescue operations that continued into the early hours of Saturday (April 4, 2026).

The rescue operation, which began around 6 p.m., went on till about 3 a.m. The body of S. Suresh (27) was recovered at around 1.30 a.m., while the body of G. Arjun Kumar (38) was retrieved at about 2.30 a.m.

A Fire and Rescue Services personnel, Rajesh, who was deployed inside the tank for the retrieval operation, said Suresh’s body was recovered without obstruction as it had not become lodged anywhere inside the tank. He said Arjun Kumar’s body was found lodged near a pipe at the bottom of the tank, with multiple injuries. “We had to completely drain the sludge and sewage before the body could be brought up,” he said.

Corporation officials took steps to cut off the inflow of sewage into the tank by rupturing the pipeline opposite the station and blocking it with sand, following which pumping operations were intensified.

Family sources said Arjun Kumar, a resident of Rathinapuri in the city, is survived by three daughters, while Suresh Kumar, a native of Pollachi, had been married for five months.

The bodies were sent to Coimbatore Medical College Hospital. Further inquiry into the incident is under way.