Bhubaneswar, Sept. 9 -- Three workers died on Wednesday inside a septic tank while cleaning it in Odisha's Rayagada district, police said.

The incident took place at Tarapaguda village under Padmapur police station limits. The deceased have been identified as Harishchandra Bir (46), Prakash Lima (45) and Alok Karad (47), all residents of Jibajagatpur village near Kenduguda, police said. Two of the deceased were masons while the third was a daily-wage labourer.

According to the police, the three workers entered a newly constructed septic tank at a house in Tarapaguda village to clean it. They reportedly became unconscious after being exposed to toxic gases inside the tank, police said.

A team from the Padmapur fire station rushed to the...