Two workers die, four others in hospital's intensive care after April 11 accident at Vinh Phat paper mill in Vietnam's Thua Thien-Hue province; accident occurred in channel where wastepaper pulp is filtered, thought to have been caused by methane gas

Debra Garcia

LOS ANGELES , April 14, 2014 (Industry Intelligence Inc.) – Two workers are dead and four other workers are at a local hospital after an April 11 accident at Vinh Phat Joint Stock Co.’s paper mill in Vietnam’s Thua Thien-Hue province, reported Thanh Nien on April 13.

The six workers were found unconscious and are believed to have suffocated while cleaning an underground channel that filters wastepaper pulp.

Methane gas, which is nontoxic but can displace oxygen in an enclosed space, could have caused the mishap, said Le Quoc Hung, vice director of Thua Thien-Hue’s police department.

All six workers were taken to the hospital but two died on the way. The four workers at the hospital are in intensive care and two are in critical condition, Thanh Nien reported.

Originally, two workers were in the trench but four other workers came to assist after hearing their cries for help. None of the workers were wearing facemasks.

Emergency responders were unable to get the workers out quickly because the channel’s opening is only about one square meter wide, online newspaper VnExpress reported.

The mill is located in Huong Thuy Commune, reported Thanh Nien.

The primary source of this article is Thanh Nien, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, on April 13, 2014. Click here to view full version of the primary source's original article.

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