4 workers die in Japan after 1 falls into manhole & other 3 try saving him

Four workers died in Japan after falling into a manhole while inspecting sewage pipes on the morning of Aug. 2.

The incident happened in Saitama prefecture, just north of Tokyo, Japan Today and NHK reported.

Police said they believed that one worker had fallen into the hole and was followed by three others who attempted to save him.

All four men, who were in their 50s, did not respond to calls after falling into the hole.

The manhole is 60cm wide and more than 10m deep.

The men were later rescued and rushed to the hospital.

Police have confirmed all four to be dead.

Hydrogen sulfide, a colourless and highly toxic gas, was also detected in the area.

However, police are still investigating whether there is a connection between the gas and the fatal incident.

Workers were conducting an emergency inspection of sewage pipes

The workers were conducting an emergency inspection of sewage pipes, reported Japan Today.

The inspections followed a massive sinkhole that appeared in the prefecture in January this year.

The sinkhole, which opened at an intersection in Yashio city on Jan. 28, led to a 74-year-old truck driver becoming trapped inside.

His body was recovered three months later in May.

Following the incident, which was believed to have been caused by sewer pipe corrosion, the Japanese government ordered countrywide inspections to be carried out on sewer pipes with a diameter of 2m or larger that were installed at least 30 years ago.

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