5 bodies found in vat used to ferment fish at fish sauce factory in Thailand, allegedly fell in due to toxic gas inhalation

5 bodies found in vat used to ferment fish at fish sauce factory in Thailand

Five bodies were found in a vat used to ferment fish at a fish sauce factory in Petchabun Province, Thailand on Monday (9 Dec).

Four of the deceased were male workers aged between 30 to 76, while one was the 41-year-old nephew-in-law of the owner.

According to Winai Sriwilai, the only surviving worker, he had gone for a delivery with the driver while his coworkers cleaned the vat to prepare for a new batch of fish to be fermented.

When he arrived at 4.30pm, he could not find any of his coworkers.

After using light from their mobile phones to navigate the fermentation room, Mr Sriwilai and the driver discovered five bodies lying motionless at the bottom of the vat and called the police.

Source: Khaosod

Five bodies found lying in a row

Upon receiving the report, police officers went to inspect the scene, accompanied by a rescue unit, an emergency doctor, and forensic officers.

At the bottom of one of the many fish fermentation vats containing about 40 centimetres of fish sauce mixture, they found the five bodies of the factory workers lying in a row, reports Thairath.

The rescue team had to pry open the zinc roof to let the air out before retrieving the bodies and had to take turns as the strong smell made them feel dizzy.

Source: Khaosod

Workers believed to have inhaled toxic gas

Initial examination led the doctor to believe that the victims had suffocated, as their symptoms were similar to those who died in septic tanks which contained a high amount of gas.

Source: Khaosod

According to local reports, the police believe that the workers fell in one after the other, while the owner’s nephew-in-law followed while trying to rescue them.

There were also no signs of struggle found at the scene.

However, Khaosod reports that the bodies and blood samples were sent to different hospitals to determine the exact cause of their death.

The Pollution Control Department is also set to measure pollution at the site of the incident.

Also read: 4 dead, 10 injured after steel structure collapses during construction in Thailand