Chennai, Aug 11( IANS): A 25-year-old contractual worker on Sunday died of asphyxiation while cleaning an underground sewer in Tamil Nadu's Avadi, police officials said.

The deceased is identified as Gopinath of Arunthathipuram, worked as a contract employee for the Avadi City Municipal Corporation.

The incident occurred on Sunday when four contractual workers of the Avadi City Municipal Corporation were removing a blockage from an underground sewer in Kurinji Street in Avadi.

According to the police, Gopinath while descending into the sewer found it difficult to breathe after inhaling toxic gas and fell unconscious.

The Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue services were alerted and a team reached immediately and pulled Gopinath out of the underground sewer.

He was rushed to a nearby government hospital but doctors declared him dead.

Later, his body was sent to the Kilpauk Medical College hospital for autopsy.

The Avadi police have registered a case and launched an investigation into the matter.

According to the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Rules, any person engaged to clean a sewer or a septic tank would have to be provided a list of 44 items of protective gear and safety devices by his employer.

According to the notification issued by the Municipal Administration and Water Supply Department under the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013, specified that no person must be allowed to clean a sewer manually without protective gear and safety devices under these rules except in certain cases.