Four men died while inspecting a sewer manhole in the Japanese city of Gyoda, north of Tokyo, authorities announced, dariknews.bg reported, citing BGNES.
The incident comes amid increased inspections across the country, triggered by a tragedy in January when a truck and its driver were swallowed by a collapsed road due to corroded sewer pipes.
According to the local fire department, the men - all in their 50s - were inspecting the pipes when one of them fell into the manhole. Three of his colleagues went down to help him, but also fell inside. Rescuers detected the presence of hydrogen sulfide - toxic gas, extremely dangerous in high concentration, coming out of the opening.
The authorities in Gyoda declined to comment on the cause of the initial collapse. “The details of the incident have not yet been clarified, so it is too early to talk about responsibility“, said a municipal official, who requested anonymity.
According to information from Japanese media, the workers were pulled out and transported to a hospital, where they were pronounced dead. About ten people were present at the scene of the inspection, which was aimed at cleaning waste and sediment accumulations in the pipes if necessary.
In May, Japanese rescuers pulled out the body of a 74-year-old truck driver who was swallowed by a collapsed road in the city of Yashio - months after the incident itself.