Repeated Reports... Massive Toxic Gas in Restroom, Death Toll Rises to 2

Busan Shipyard: Two Employees of Outsourced Ship Electrical Equipment Company Found Dead

In 2019, High School Girl Met Tragedy in Gwangalli Beach Public Restroom

On the morning of the 26th, two people collapsed due to suffocation from toxic gas in a shipyard restroom in Gupyeong-dong, Saha-gu, Busan, resulting in one death. [Image source=Busan Police Agency]

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-woo] The death toll from the toxic gas leak accident in a shipyard restroom in Saha-gu, Busan, which occurred on the 26th, has risen to two. Both were employees of an outsourced ship electrical equipment company.

According to the Saha Police Station in Busan on the 27th, around 11:04 a.m. on the 26th, an employee found two people collapsed in the first-floor restroom next to the office building of a shipyard in Gupyeong-dong and reported it.

Rescue workers who arrived transported the unconscious individuals to the hospital, but one died shortly after in a state of cardiac arrest, and the other regained consciousness but passed away around 9:30 p.m. during treatment.

There had been a strong rotten egg smell in the restroom on weekends and holidays, and it was reported that the smell was particularly severe on the day of the accident. Police investigations revealed that several complaints about the odor had been filed in Saha-gu and surrounding areas.

The police and fire authorities believe that the victims inhaled ammonia and hydrogen sulfide leaking from the first-floor restroom drain, causing the accident.

The toxic gas level inside the restroom was confirmed to be 250 ppm, an extremely high concentration compared to the safe level of 15 ppm.

The police plan to investigate the cause of the gas generation with the Busan Environmental Corporation, which manages the sewage pipelines.

Hydrogen sulfide is a colorless, foul-smelling gas that smells like rotten eggs and is a representative toxic gas that can cause immediate suffocation upon inhalation. Ammonia, also a harmful gas, can cause loss of consciousness when inhaled in confined spaces.

In Busan, a hydrogen sulfide leak accident also occurred in 2019, resulting in one death. In July of that year, a high school girl died after inhaling leaked hydrogen sulfide in a public restroom near Gwangalli Beach in Suyeong-gu.