One worker dead and another seriously injured while they were 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 left critically injured this Tuesday evening while performing maintenance tasks in a septic tank on the third floor of the underground car park of the Central Market of Tarragona, as confirmed by sources familiar with the matter 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 events took place around eight in the evening and the Generalitat Firefighters, who sent seven units to the area, evacuated the premises and established a security perimeter as a precaution. They found the two workers in an unconscious state. The operators were inside a manhole that collects drainage water from the entire building. The incident gathered several patrols of the Mossos d'Esquadra and the Tarragona Urban Guard at the site, who established a security perimeter and cut off traffic in the area.
In a message on X, the Minister of Business and Labour, 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 condition of the critically injured worker and wish him a favourable 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 personnel took readings of toxic gases and confirmed the presence of carbon monoxide. "We understand that what happened is that there was an intoxication due to this cause," he explained. The firefighters began ventilation tasks to reduce the concentration of the toxic gas.
Carbon monoxide is a toxic, colourless, odourless, tasteless and non-irritating gas that can cause death rapidly or serious health damage if inhaled over a long period of time. In Catalonia, during the coldest seasons, poisonings and deaths occur every year due to the inhalation of this gas, caused by misuse, malfunction or incorrect installation of heating appliances.