Malappuram (Kerala) | Three migrant workers died in an accident at a waste treatment plant in Areekode, a town in this northern Kerala district, on Wednesday, police said.

The deceased were identified as two natives of Bihar and one from Assam.

According to a police officer, the incident occurred while the workers were engaged in cleaning operations inside the plant's water recycling unit.

"They are suspected to have died due to suffocation. The doctor at the nearby hospital declared them dead," he said, without divulging more information.

Further investigation is underway.

Kerala Minister V Sivankutty said the state Labour Commission would conduct a probe into the deaths of the migrant workers.

"Steps will be taken to send the bodies of the deceased workers back to their respective states. Appropriate compensation will be provided as per the law," he added in a Facebook post.