Plumbers die in sewage collector

TWO LOCAL plumbers, aged 59 and 38 respectively, died on Tuesday afternoon when they were working on repairs to a sewage collector on the Castalla Internacional urbanisation, which is located around three kilometres from Castalla.

Both men perished after inhaling toxic gases inside the septic tank, which is connected to the urbanisation's sewer systems. Another colleague managed to regain consciousness after fainting.

The Guardia Civil are still investigating the exact circumstances surrounding their deaths.

Facts known so far point to the incident occurring at 17.00, when four workmen from local company Pallisa plumbers, went to a sewer collector in the urbanisation, with the aim of repairing a pump.

One of them descended the septic tank, which is three metres deep, and lost consciousness, another worker who attempted to help him had the same fate.

A third workman attempted to use harnesses to rescue his colleagues but felt faint, and fell unconscious before he could enter the tank, although he later came around.

The fourth man called the emergency services, with Guardia Civil and local police being the first on the scene, managing to rescue one of the two who were inside the tank, but unfortunately he was dead. Firefighters rescued the other one, who had also died.

Firefighters took samples of the air inside the tank and later said that they had 'values incompatible with life'.

Meanwhile Guardia Civil officers immediately started work to clarify the circumstances that led to the death of the two men.