Another manhole death

[Anchor]

Another manhole death occurred today (8.25).

A worker in his 40s, carrying out sewer repair work beneath a manhole, was killed.

He appears to have been swept away by rainwater after failing to escape when sudden heavy rain poured down.

Reporter Yeo So-yeon has more.

[Report]

In just 10 minutes, 20 millimeters of heavy rain fell in Gangseo District, Seoul.

At around 8:30 this morning, a worker in his 40s was swept away by rainwater while working beneath a manhole on a local road.

At the time, five workers, including the victim, were engaged in sewer pipe repairs.

[Witness: "It was raining really heavily, and then around 8:30 a.m., I heard a scream. That’s when I realized an accident had happened—it was a human scream."]

The man, who had been working inside a manhole near Deungchon Station, was carried away through the sewer line and discovered about an hour later at the Gayang Rainwater Pump Station.

He had been swept about 1.4 kilometers from the accident site.

When found, he was already in cardiac arrest.

[Kim Se-young / Safety Officer, Gangseo Fire Station: "He was found about 2.5 meters below ground, submerged in roughly 4 meters of water at the Gayang Rainwater Pump Station."]

It was confirmed that the site supervisor responsible for safety was not present at the scene.

Gangseo District Office, which had ordered the repair work, explained "Since each supervisor oversees multiple worksites, they do not remain stationed at one site."

The office also stated "Work is not permitted on rainy days and requires district approval in advance, but in this case, we only learned of the work after the accident occurred."

Just last month, a worker in his 70s died of suffocation while working inside a manhole in Geumcheon District, Seoul. As of last month, the number of workers who have died this year while working in manholes has reached six.

This has been Yeo So-yeon, KBS News.