Three workers die in labor accident in Manisa

MANİSA - Doğan News Agency

The accident occurred during maintenance work at a waste water pumping facility in a leather factory complex inside an industrial zone. DHA PHoto

One engineer and two technicians died in a labor accident in the western province of Manisa on June 26.

The accident occurred during maintenance work at a waste water pumping facility in a leather factory complex inside an industrial zone.

One of the technicians, İbrahim Dursun, fell into the facility’s waste water pool, while carrying out maintenance work near the sediment tank, which was six meters below ground.

Dursun allegedly lost his balance after being affected by the toxic gas inside the facility, despite wearing a protective mask. The engineer, Muhammet Nurbelen, and a second technician, Satılmış Mercan, who were accompanying him, jumped inside the pool to save Dursun, but both drowned after getting stuck at the bottom of the pool.

Mercan’s body was pulled from the water by workers at the site after they were alerted by his calls for help. Dursun and Nurbelen’s bodies were found after the fire workers emptied the water inside the tank.  

An investigation has been launched into the incident.

This accident comes only six weeks after Turkey’s biggest ever mining disaster in Soma, which claimed the lives of 301 workers, in the same province of Manisa. The Soma disaster has once again drawn attention to the lack of safety conditions and regulations at worksites in Turkey.