Realty workers land in ICU after 'chemical poisoning'

GHAZIABAD: Three workers were admitted to the ICU of a private hospital in Ghaziabad on Monday evening, a day after falling unconscious from burns and poisoning, allegedly caused during painting an under-construction building in Vaishali.
The workers, all in their early twenties, who had gone to work on Sunday, were allegedly found heaped on top of each other in an unconscious state inside a bathroom of the building on Monday afternoon.They were found by their relatives who came searching for them in the building in Sector 4, when they did not return home after work.
"They had been called to work by their supervisor on Sunday. But they did not return home in the evening. Their cell phones were also switched off. The supervisor went to search for them on Monday morning but could not locate them. In the afternoon, the relatives went to the under-construction building and found them inside a bathroom," said M S Saifi, a neighbour of one of the victims.
Two of the workers go by the same name, Salman. The other is Waseem. They all live in Balaji Vihar near Arthala, Ghaziabad.
Dr Sandeep Jain of Pushpanjali Hospital, where they are admitted, said, "One of the workers, Salman, has been put on ventilator. The other Salman is also in ICU, though his condition is slightly better. Waseem is in a general ward. All three had been referred to the hospital with burn injuries on their bodies, purportedly caused by some chemical. They had breathing difficulties as well. Initial diagnosis indicates pneumonitis (inflammation of lung tissue) caused by chemical poisoning."
No FIR has yet been lodged. "Prima facie, it appears to be an accident caused by spilling of paint thinner. But their relatives have alleged the injuries could have come from a fight with fellow workers.
we are probing the role of the workers' supervisor also," an officer said.