Pune, 27th August 2026: Two workers died after getting trapped inside a manhole chamber while carrying out work in the Pradhikaran area of Pimpri-Chinchwad late Wednesday night.
The incident took place in front of Lokmanya Hospital. The fire brigade received a call at around 11.56 pm reporting that two workers had fallen into the chamber and were unable to get out.
Personnel from the Pradhikaran sub-fire station immediately reached the spot and rescued both workers. They were handed over to the police and taken to YCM Hospital for treatment. However, hospital authorities later informed officials that both had died.
The deceased have been identified as Amol Sahebrao Shinde, 19, and Manoj Baburao Shinde, 23, both residents of Hingoli.
The latest incident has raised serious concerns because three BSNL workers died at the same manhole last year. With the deaths of Amol and Manoj, the number of workers who have lost their lives at the same location has now reached five.
The repeated fatalities at the spot have also raised questions about safety measures and the condition of the manhole chamber, particularly for workers carrying out maintenance or other underground work.
A team from the fire brigade, led by personnel from the Pradhikaran sub-fire station, carried out the rescue operation. The circumstances that led to the two workers falling into the chamber were not immediately clear.
Officials were awaiting further details regarding the nature of the work being carried out and the exact cause of the deaths.