BANGKOK: Five workers have been found dead in a cesspit of a factory in Lomsak district of Phetchabun province, the Phetchabun Ruamkatanyu Foundation reported on Monday (Dec 9).
The factory produces pla ra, Thai-style fermented fish products, the foundation wrote in a Facebook post.
Rescue workers from the foundation were called to the factory around 6pm Monday after a witness found a victim’s body floating in the cesspit, which is 2 x 2 metres in dimension and two metres deep.
Winai (last name withheld), 45, said that he and the five deceased are the only six workers at this factory, which has been operating for the past 10 years. He said he was out making deliveries earlier in the evening and found the factory deserted when he returned.
After inspecting the scene, local police chief Pol Maj General Saranai Khongmuang speculated that one of the victims might have gone into the cesspit to clean, but passed out due to the smell.
This could have prompted the rest of the workers to go in and help, only to suffer the same fate, he said.
However, the true cause of death can only be determined when the autopsies are performed, Saranai added.
To ensure officials’ safety while retrieving the bodies, several fans have been installed around the cesspit to ventilate the area, which has a strong gas odour from the fish fermentation. - The Nation/ANN
