Five workers died after being poisoned by a dangerous gas at a sewage treatment plant in Sicily

Five workers died on Monday after inhaling hydrogen sulfide while working in a sewer connected to a sewage treatment plant in the town of Casteldaccia, near Palermo, Sicily. A sixth worker was rescued by firefighters and is in intensive care, local officials said. according to The New York Times.

Girolamo Bentivoglio, Palermo’s fire chief, said the workers inhaled hydrogen sulfide, a gas often present at waste treatment plants that is toxic in high concentrations. The levels were so high where the workers were killed, “that fatality is immediate,” Bentivoglio said in a televised interview on RaiNews24, the national television news channel.

“Five workers died, and a sixth was intubated and transported to the hospital,” confirmed the mayor of Casteldaccia, Giovanni di Giacinto.

The accident has sparked a new round of outrage over the incidence of workplace deaths in Italy. In April, seven workers were killed in an explosion at a hydroelectric plant near Bologna, while five workers died in Florence during the construction of a supermarket in February.

According to the European statistics agency Eurostat, Italy ranks eighth among European countries in terms of fatal accidents at work, with an incidence of 2.66 per 100,000 employees, higher than the European Union average of 1.76 , but lower than that of France, of 3.32.

“If they had taken all the precautions, all the safety measures, including personal protective equipment, we would not have faced this scenario,” Bentivoglio said.

According to Inail, the National Institute for Insurance Against Work Accidents, in the first three months of 2024 there were 191 work-related deaths.

“The tragedy at Casteldaccia responds to a pattern that has been repeated too often in recent months,” the leaders of three Sicilian unions said in a joint statement published by Italian news agencies.

The causes of the accident will have to be verified, as well as the responsibilities of the companies involved, the unions said.

“Sicily once again mourns its workplace deaths,” they wrote.

In a post on social network X, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called for “full light to be shed on this tragedy”.

Italian President Sergio Mattarella said “this latest unacceptable massacre at work” should serve to reiterate the need for a joint commitment involving unions, entrepreneurs and institutions, Italian news agency ANSA reported.

Giovanni Di Giacinto, the mayor of Casteldaccia, said in a telephone interview that investigations into the accident are ongoing. “It’s a huge tragedy,” he said.

An official said the workers were killed by hydrogen sulfide, which is toxic in high concentrations. Italian officials and unions have repeated urgent calls for improved workplace safety.

Publisher: CLB

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