Police investigating the accident at the Maeil Dairies plant in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, which left one 50-year-old worker dead and another injured, have secured a statement from the survivor saying, "I went inside to rescue my collapsed colleague and lost consciousness."

Based on the autopsy finding that there were no external injuries on the body, police are investigating the possibility of a suffocation accident inside a confined space.

According to the police and fire authorities today (August 12), an accident occurred at around 2:58 PM on August 9 at the condensed milk storage tank inside the plant located in Jinwi-myeon, Pyeongtaek, resulting in the death of a Maeil Dairies worker identified as A, and injuries to another worker identified as B.

While it was initially reported that the two were found collapsed together inside the tank, which is 3.4 meters high and 1.9 meters in diameter, it was later confirmed that they were found inside and outside the tank, respectively.

Worker B reportedly saw worker A, with whom he was working in a team, collapsed inside the tank and entered the interior to rescue him before losing consciousness.

B told police, "While doing other work, I noticed A was missing and went looking for him. I saw him collapsed inside the tank and went in, but I don't remember anything after that," adding, "I cried out 'Help me' and passed out."

Emergency medical services dispatched following a report from another coworker transported worker A, who was in cardiac arrest inside the tank, and worker B, who was sitting outside the tank complaining of dizziness, to the hospital.

After worker A ultimately passed away at the hospital, police requested an autopsy from the National Forensic Service.

The National Forensic Service recently delivered an initial verbal opinion to the police stating, "There were no external injuries on the body, and the exact cause of death can be determined only after detailed tests such as blood examinations come out."

It is expected to take more than a month for the detailed autopsy results to be released.

Based on the investigation findings so far, police believe there is a possibility that workers A and B entered the confined tank one after another under low oxygen conditions, leading to the death and injury.

The inside of the tank is a confined space where ventilation is difficult, and it is known that when residue inside decomposes or cleaning agents are used, oxygen can be rapidly depleted and toxic gases can accumulate.

The biggest question is why the deceased worker A went inside the enclosed tank.

A scouring pad was found near the deceased worker A, but no traces of cleaning agents were found.

A police official stated, "The deceased appears to have gone all the way down to the bottom of the tank and collapsed," adding, "It is said that the day of the accident was not a scheduled day for cleaning the inside of the tank, so we will look into why the deceased went inside and whether oxygen levels were measured before entering."

Following the completion of the preliminary investigation, the police plan to transfer the case to the Major Disaster Investigation Team at the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency, a higher-level authority.

(Photo: Yonhap News)