One worker dead and another seriously injured while cleaning a septic tank in Tarragona
The two workers were performing maintenance tasks at the Central Market parking lot and supposedly inhaled carbon monoxide
BarcelonaA worker has died and another has been critically injured this Tuesday evening while performing maintenance work in a septic tank on the third floor of the underground parking lot of the Central Market of Tarragona, according to sources familiar with the matter confirmed to ARA. The critically injured person has been transferred to the Joan XXIII Hospital. The workers were repairing the drain, where carbon monoxide had accumulated due to a blockage.
The incident took place around eight in the evening and the Generalitat Fire Department, which sent seven crews to the area, evacuated the site and established a security perimeter as a precaution. They found the two workers in an unconscious state. The workers were inside a manhole that collects drainage water from the entire building. The event brought together several patrols of the Mossos d'Esquadra and the Tarragona Urban Guard to the site, which established a security perimeter and cut off traffic in the area.
In a message on the social network X, the Minister of Business and Labor, Miquel Sàmper, lamented this work accident and expressed his condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of the deceased worker. "I also want to express my concern for the state of the critically injured worker and wish him a favorable recovery," he added.
The firefighters detected a concentration of 60 parts per million of carbon monoxide in the area. The territorial chief of the firefighters in Tarragona and the Terres de l'Ebre, Xavier Ferrer, explained that the units took readings of toxic gases and confirmed the presence of carbon monoxide. "We understand that what happened is that there was an intoxication for this reason," he explained. The firefighters have begun ventilation tasks to reduce the concentration of the toxic gas.
Carbon monoxide is a toxic, colorless, odorless, tasteless, and non-irritating gas that can cause death quickly or serious health damage if inhaled over a long period of time. In Catalonia, during the colder seasons, poisonings and deaths occur every year due to the inhalation of this gas, caused by misuse, malfunction, or incorrect installation of heating appliances.
