A sudden toxic gas leak at a factory (Deeps Tools Pvt Ltd) in Industrial Area-A near RK Road, Ludhiana, on Monday claimed the lives of three persons, including a man and son, due to asphyxiation. Some other workers also suffered health issues.According to eyewitnesses, tank cleaning work was underway in the factory on Jattvibeday night when toxic gas suddenly started leaking. Within minutes, the gas spread throughout the premises. The concentration was so intense that workers inside had no time to escape. Some collapsed on the spot due to suffocation and severe eye irritation, while three lost their lives.The deceased were identified as Mann Singh, his son Amit and a factory worker.According to the family, both Mann Singh and Amit were the primary earning members. Amit is survived by two sisters, a younger brother and his wife, who is a homemaker. The couple had a one-year-old daughter.The deceased’s daughter said that her father and brother had gone to the factory that night for tank cleaning work. “They usually return by 4 am every day. I kept calling them, but no one answered. Early this morning, when I reached the factory, I was told that the workers had died due to a gas leak.”“Factory management didn’t call us even once or give us any information. When we rushed to the hospital, we learned that my father, brother, and another worker had died,” she added.ACP Inderjit Singh Boparai said that the police have registered a case and initiated an investigation. Action will be taken as per the law. “Which chemical or gas leakage took lives is being investigated by concerned departments,” added ACP.Officials from district administration, municipal corporation and Punjab Pollution Control Board also arrived for investigation.