TOKYO: Four workers died after falling into a manhole in Gyoda in Saitama Prefecture, north of Tokyo, on Aug 2.
They were carrying out a sewage pipe inspection when one of them fell into the manhole. The other three fell in while trying to rescue the first victim.
The Gyoda fire department headquarters said that an emergency call was made at around 9.25am on Aug 2.
By 4pm, all four workers had been pulled out, but were taken to a hospital for cardiac arrest. Their deaths were later confirmed.
Kyodo News reported that all four victims are believed to be in their 50s.
The manhole was reported to be between 12 and 15 metres deep. Hydrogen sulfide was also detected at the scene.
A city official said the inspection was being carried out in the wake of a massive sinkhole that appeared at an intersection in Yashio, also in Saitama, on Jan 28, swallowing a truck and its driver.
The driver’s body was recovered only in May. -- YOMIURI SHIMBUN/ASIA NEWS NETWORK, KYODO NEWS
