Two sewer workers die after inhaling toxic gas in manhole

Two sewer maintenance workers were dead after inhaling toxic gas in a manhole in Sha Tin late on Monday.

Authorities’ initial investigation found that the two dead, along with two other men also working inside the manhole, inhaled hydrogen sulfide.

Police said they received the distress call around midnight that the four workers working three to four meters underground at Yuen Wo Playground had fallen ill.

Two workers, aged 23 and 35, managed to climb out of the manhole on their own. The remaining two workers, aged 26 and 34, had fallen unconscious underground and had to be rescued by firefighters. The unconscious pair was declared dead at the Prince of Wales Hospital. The two other workers were also treated at the same hospital.

The Drainage Services Department said on Tuesday morning that the men were employed by a contractor to clean sewers using high-pressure water jets, but their work should not have required them to enter the manhole.

The department said it had ordered a halt to work at the site and paused all similar work elsewhere until it could conduct safety checks.

The investigation is ongoing.

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