Man in His 50s Found Dead After Going Missing During Manhole Work in Incheon

Hydrogen Sulfide and Carbon Monoxide Detected in Underground Pipeline
Suspected Toxic Gas Poisoning... Investigation into Circumstances Planned

The police have launched an investigation after the owner and an employee of a company lost consciousness or died while inspecting the underground sewage and wastewater pipelines inside a manhole on a road in Incheon.

According to the Incheon Fire Department on July 7, employee A (52) of a sewage and wastewater pipeline inspection and management company was found dead by firefighters. It is reported that firefighters discovered A at the Gulpo Sewage Treatment Plant, which is connected to the wastewater pipeline.

One Worker in Cardiac Arrest and One Missing in Manhole Incident in Incheon. Yonhap News.

The fire authorities received a report at 9:22 a.m. the previous day stating that "two people have collapsed inside a road manhole." The fire authorities rescued company owner B (48) from the manhole in a state of cardiac arrest, but were unable to locate the missing employee A and therefore conducted an underwater search operation.

The investigation revealed that B's company was responsible for a subcontracted portion of the "Sewage Pipeline (Wastewater Pipeline) GIS (Geographic Information System) Database Construction Project" commissioned by the Incheon Environmental Corporation.

The police and fire authorities have confirmed the presence of hydrogen sulfide and carbon monoxide in the underground pipeline, and believe that A and others were poisoned by toxic gases. They plan to investigate the exact circumstances of the accident in detail.

It was determined that B entered the manhole to rescue A after A collapsed and was unable to exit. The police plan to request an autopsy from the National Forensic Service to determine the exact cause of death for the deceased employee A.