Lebanon: Death of Five Palestinian and Lebanese Workers Inside a Wastewater Treatment Plant

SadaNews - The Media and Public Relations Department of the Lebanese Civil Defense Directorate announced the death of five workers, three Palestinians and two Lebanese, inside a wastewater treatment plant in Khaldeh, south of the Lebanese capital Beirut.

The directorate reported in a statement today, Thursday, that the five workers fell into one of the treatment pools, which led to their immediate deaths.

The statement added: "It was found that one of the workers was cleaning inside a treatment pool at a depth of about seven meters, where wastewater accumulates and emits toxic gases that cause loss of consciousness upon inhalation. While he was descending to the bottom of the pool via an internal ladder to clean the sediments stuck between the filter openings, he suffered from asphyxiation and fell to the ground. Four of his colleagues subsequently attempted to rescue him, but they too soon faced the same fate due to the emission of toxic gases and the drop in oxygen levels in the enclosed space, leading to their deaths by asphyxiation.

Rescue teams immediately intervened to carry out a careful retrieval of the bodies using ropes and special respiratory devices.