Japan, Aug 4 (Kyodo/APP): Four workers who died after falling down a manhole over the weekend were not equipped with protective gear, their company said Sunday.
The sewage survey firm also said levels of hydrogen sulfide — a highly toxic, colorless gas — detected at the site of the accident in Gyoda, Saitama Prefecture, north of Tokyo, were more than 15 times the national standard when it happened.
The four men had been carrying out emergency sewage pipe inspections commissioned by the local government. Their employer, based in the city of Saitama, on Sunday issued an apology to their families over the incident.
According to police, one man apparently became unconscious while going down the ladder inside the manhole and fell, followed by the other three when they tried to rescue him.