8 Workers Found Dead Inside Frozen Truck Cargo Compartment... What Is the Cause?

Late Departure... Boarding a Freight Truck Due to Inadequate Transportation Options

In Henan Province, located in central China, eight female workers died while riding in the cargo compartment of a refrigerated truck on their way home from work.

According to Gwangmyeong Network and other sources on the 17th, the refrigerated truck in question departed illegally with eight workers on board around 10 p.m. on the 15th and arrived at a local gas station.

Circumstances of the Deaths of Eight Female Workers. Photo by China Baidu, Yonhap News Agency

The truck driver discovered that the eight passengers in the cargo compartment had suffocated and lost consciousness. Emergency rescue was requested from the fire department, but all were pronounced dead around 3 a.m. the following day.

The victims were reported to be seven women in their 40s and one woman in her 50s, all mothers with children.

According to local media, the victims were all workers at a nearby beef processing plant. Due to the lack of suitable transportation late at night, they were riding in the refrigerated truck’s cargo compartment on their way home when the accident occurred. The high concentration of carbon dioxide inside the cargo compartment caused the suffocation.

Chinese public security authorities have detained the driver and the vehicle owner for violating regulations prohibiting people from riding in refrigerated truck compartments and are investigating the specific circumstances of the accident.